Cambodia and Thailand exchanged fire on Thursday, killing at least 12 people, after months of rising tension over the shared border between the two Southeast Asian countries.

周四，柬埔寨与泰国发生交火，造成至少12人死亡。此前数月，这两个东南亚国家围绕着共同边界问题，紧张局势不断升级。

The border tensions have already contributed to a political crisis in Thailand: On July 1 a Thai court suspended the prime minister, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, because of comments she made about the dispute, which goes back decades.

边境紧张局势引发了泰国的政治危机：7月1日，泰国法院暂停了总理佩通坦·钦那瓦的职务，原因是她就这个可追溯至数十年前的争端发表了相关言论。

This conflict may prove to be a diplomatic opportunity for China. It is the largest trading partner for both Thailand and Cambodia, and has increased its influence in the region at a time when governments in Southeast Asia are becoming wary of the United States.

这场冲突或许会成为中国的外交机遇。作为泰柬两国最大贸易伙伴，在东南亚各国对美国渐生警惕之际，中国在该地区的影响力不断扩大。

What happened at the border on Thursday?

周四在边境发生了什么？

Each nation accused the other of firing first.

两国均指责对方首先开火。

The Thai Army said that Cambodia had fired rockets into civilian areas in four Thai provinces, prompting Thailand to send F-16 fighter jets to strike targets in Cambodia.

泰国军方称，柬埔寨向泰国四个府的平民区域发射火箭弹，促使泰国出动F-16战斗机打击柬埔寨境内目标。

Cambodian officials said that Thai soldiers had opened fire on Cambodian troops first, at Prasat Ta Muen Thom, a temple claimed by both nations. They said Cambodian forces returned fire some 15 minutes later.

柬埔寨官员表示，泰国士兵首先向两国均宣称拥有主权的塔门通寺的柬埔寨军队开火。他们称，约15分钟后，柬埔寨军队进行了还击。

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health said the clashes had killed at least 11 Thai civilians and one soldier, and injured 24 civilians and seven soldiers.

泰国公共卫生部表示，冲突已造成至少11名泰国平民和一名士兵死亡，另有24名平民和七名士兵受伤。

Thousands of residents fled the area.

数以千计的居民逃离了该地区。

Cambodian officials did not immediately confirm reports of casualties.

柬埔寨官员尚未证实有关伤亡的报道。

Why was Thailand’s prime minister suspended?

泰国总理为何被停职？

In June, Ms. Paetongtarn called Hun Sen, Cambodia’s de facto leader, to discuss the escalating border tensions. Mr. Hun Sen has close ties with her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former prime minister of Thailand and the leader of a powerful political dynasty, as well as one of the country’s richest men.

6月，佩通坦致电柬埔寨实际领导人洪森，商讨不断升级的边境紧张局势。洪森与她的父亲他信·钦那瓦关系密切，他信是泰国前总理、一个强大政治家族的领袖，也是泰国最富有的人之一。

Mr. Hun Sen posted a recording of their call, in which Ms. Paetongtarn seemed to disparage Thailand’s powerful military and take a deferential tone. She called Mr. Hun Sen “uncle” and told him that she would “arrange” anything he wanted.

洪森公布了两人的通话录音，录音中佩通坦似乎贬低泰国强大的军方，并表现出恭顺的态度。她称洪森为“叔叔”，并表示会“安排”好他想要的一切。

In response, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Bangkok to express their outrage. Although Ms. Paetongtarn apologized, she has faced pressure to resign less than a year after taking office.

对此，数以千计的抗议者走上曼谷街头表达愤怒。尽管佩通坦已经道歉，但在上任不到一年的时间里，她就面临辞职压力。

In early July, a Thai court suspended her.

7月初，泰国一家法院暂停了她的职务。

Why is Prasat Ta Muen Thom important?

塔门通寺为何重要？

The ownership of Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple on the Thai side of the border, is disputed by the two countries. Mr. Hun Sen claimed in a social media post that a Thai military commander had “started this war” by ordering the closure of the temple on Wednesday, and opening fire on Cambodian troops the next day.

塔门通寺是位于泰国边境一侧的一座古老寺庙，两国对其归属权存在争议。洪森在社交媒体上发帖称，一名泰国军方指挥官于周三下令关闭该寺庙，并在次日向柬埔寨军队开火，从而“挑起了这场战争”。

Thailand has accused Cambodia of starting the conflict.

泰国则指责柬埔寨挑起冲突。

The temple is in the Surin region of Thailand, and people there speak Khmer as well as Thai — highlighting the cultural overlap with Cambodia, where Khmer is the official language. The province is known for ruins from the Khmer Empire, which lasted from the ninth to the 15th century. One such ruin is Prasat Ta Muen Thom.

这座寺庙位于泰国素林府境内，当地居民既说高棉语也说泰语——这凸显了与柬埔寨的文化重叠，高棉语是柬埔寨的官方语言。素林府以高棉帝国的遗迹而闻名，高棉帝国存在于9世纪至15世纪。塔门通寺即为其中一处遗迹。

Arguments about where the border should be, and who owns the temples in the region, have led to decades of disputes, which international courts have failed to resolve.

关于该地区边界的划定以及寺庙的归属问题，双方的争议已持续数十年，国际法院也未能解决。

In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded Cambodia sovereignty over the Preah Vihear Temple, another temple about 95 miles away.

1962年，国际法院将距此约150公里的柏威夏寺的主权判给了柬埔寨。

In 2013, the court, the top judicial body of the United Nations, tried to clarify the 1962 decision. It said that Cambodia had sovereignty over the immediate area around the temple, but it left unresolved who controlled a larger disputed area.

2013年，作为联合国最高司法机构的国际法院试图澄清1962年的判决。法院称，柬埔寨对该寺庙的附近区域拥有主权，但未明确更大争议区域的控制权归属。

What is China’s role?

中国在其中扮演什么角色？

China is both countries’ largest trading partner and has invested heavily in infrastructure in each. In Thailand, it is helping the government build a railway to connect Bangkok and southwestern China. In Cambodia, China is building a huge airport and has financed the construction of government buildings and of the country’s first-ever expressway.

中国是两国最大贸易伙伴，并在双方都有大量基础设施投资。在泰国，中国正帮助政府修建一条连接曼谷与中国西南部的铁路。在柬埔寨，中国正在建设一座大型机场，并为政府办公楼及该国首条高速公路的建设提供资金。

At the same time, American influence in the region has been questioned, as the United States has threatened to impose steep tariffs on imports from both Thailand and Cambodia.

与此同时，美国在该地区的影响力正在受到质疑，因为美国威胁要对来自泰柬两国的进口商品征收高额关税。

This month, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, met with Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and criticized the U.S. tariffs as “an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate rights to development,” according to a Chinese government readout.

本月，中国外交部长王毅会见柬埔寨副首相，据中国政府的新闻公告，王毅批评美国的关税政策是“企图剥夺各方的正当发展权利”。

Mr. Wang also promised to play a “constructive role” in negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand in their border dispute.

王毅还承诺，将在柬埔寨与泰国的边界争端谈判中发挥“建设性作用”。

On Thursday, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said the Chinese government was “deeply concerned” about the skirmishes. He said that Thailand and Cambodia were China’s “friendly neighbors,” and added that Beijing had been working to facilitate talks.

周四，中国外交部发言人表示，中国政府对此次小规模冲突“深感担忧”。他称泰国和柬埔寨都是中国的“友好邻邦”，并强调中方一直在努力推动双方对话。

How old is the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia?

泰柬冲突的历史溯源

The two countries have had occasional military clashes and nationalist rivalries for hundreds of years. The border disputes can be traced back to a 1907 map created during French colonial rule in Cambodia. The two countries interpret the map differently.

数百年来，两国间不时发生军事冲突，民族主义争斗也从未间断。边界争端的根源可追溯至1907年法国殖民统治柬埔寨时期绘制的地图。两国对该地图的解读存在分歧。

Military fighting has broken out intermittently since 2008, but the last time that a major clash turned deadly was in 2011.

自2008年以来，军事冲突时有发生，但上一次造成人员死亡的重大冲突是在2011年。

Here is a timeline of the tensions.

这里是紧张局势发展的时间线。