As US criticises, Cambodia veers closer to ‘ironclad brother’ China

Sanctions against Cambodian officials and warnings not to invest in the country are more likely to be met with intransigence than policy changes, observers say

In addition to pushing Phnom Penh further into ‘China’s corner’, the US also risks undermining Asean centrality during Cambodia’s year-long chairmanship

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Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in 2019. Photo: Pool via AP

Published: 9:00am, 6 Dec 2021Updated: 12:03pm, 6 Dec 2021

A day after Cambodia marked 68 years of independence last month, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government was hit with a brace of disapproving announcements from Washington that analysts say signal future tensions in the bilateral relationship and risk pushing Phnom Penh further into “China’s corner”.

The first press release on November 10 broadcast new US sanctions against Cambodian navy chief Admiral Tea Vinh and defence ministry equipment tsar General Chau Phirun for allegedly conspiring to profit from the construction and upgrade of a China-linked naval base, which has been a source of tension between Washington and Beijing amid claims it could host Chinese troops.

The second, from the US State Department, cautioned American businesses against investing in Cambodia, citing endemic corruption and the risk of possible involvement with entities involved in human rights abuses, trafficking of people and wildlife, and drugs.

Hun Sen has been Cambodia’s prime minister for nearly 37 years. Photo: National Television of Cambodia via AP

Amid rising US tensions, Cambodia has become increasingly reliant on China in recent years, as Hun Sen – who has been prime minister since 1985 – oversees a shift away from the West and consolidates one-party rule.

John D. Ciorciari, director of the Weiser Diplomacy Centre at the University of Michigan, said Washington’s recent sanctions against Cambodian officials suggest US President Joe Biden’s administration “may have decided that sticks are more promising than carrots”.

“In the unlikely event that Cambodian policies shift, US sanctions could ease. Much more likely is Cambodian intransigence and a gradual US escalation aimed at imposing enough costs to force the Hun Sen government to moderate,” Ciorciari said.