Following a major fallout after his attempted use of the trade leverage in reaching a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) stated that he was optimistic about brokering the peace deal between the Southeast Asian nations,

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

Thailand closed northeastern border crossings with Cambodia and said Wednesday it was withdrawing its ambassador and expelling the Cambodian ambassador to protest a land mine blast in which a Thai soldier lost a leg.

Thailand closes some border crossings with Cambodia after soldier loses leg in landmine explosion Many border checkpoints had already been closed by one side or the other after relations deteriorated following an armed confrontation in which one Cambodian soldier was killed.

The U.S. now also has a trade framework for 19 percent duties on Philippine imports and 15 percent for Japanese goods entering the US market.