Will Chinese money be enough to ward off dissent against Cambodian strongman Hun Sen?
Driven by his need for Chinese money, the Cambodian prime minister’s support for Beijing’s claims in the South China Sea is beginning to cost the bloc dearly
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is battening down the hatches amid strident criticism of his government at home and abroad as his country takes flak for putting its financially rewarding alliance with China above the wishes of the Asean states, and the rising political violence in the run-up to the elections stokes popular protest and spooks foreign investors.
His support for Beijing’s maritime claims at a recent Association of South East Asian Nations meeting in Laos, where his government again thwarted efforts to establish a multilateral programme aimed at dispute resolution with China, has cast the region’s longest serving leader as a spoiler who has split the trade bloc.
“Cambodia is losing more and more international legitimacy and as a result, rightly or wrongly, our position has been met with scepticism,” said Ou Virak, founder of the Future Forum think tank.
Ever since China wrote off much of Cambodia’s debt obligations in 2002 and resuscitated bilateral relations, Hun Sen has attempted to downplay his country’s role in the South China Sea disputes.