The Thailand-Cambodia conflict is another possible chance for China’s arms to be displayed as being at least as good as Western—specifically, American—arms.

The ceasefire agreement brokered in Putrajaya was a win for Malaysia premier Anwar Ibrahim and ASEAN, experts say. With clashes reportedly erupting early Tuesday morning, however, observation teams are urgently needed on the ground.

The leaders of Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire, according to a social media post by United States President Donald Trump on Saturday.

"The U.S. already flunked the test and that should be a wakeup call," a former senior U.S. State Department official told Newsweek.