United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pays a visit to Cambodia amid increasing worries about China's impact.
Austin's visit to the Cambodian capital is his second trip to the Southeast Asian nation as Secretary of Defense and marks the first time a US defense chief visits Cambodia specifically for a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Defense Minister Tea Seiha.
The outreach symbolizes the US's intention to foster better relations with Cambodia, with defense officials emphasizing that they see potential for a brighter future in the partnership amidst China's growing influence in the country.
Officials highlighted the recent leadership transition in Cambodia, with Prime Minister Hun Manet now in office, as an opportunity to discuss the possibility of a more optimistic path for the relationship. However, they stressed that this visit does not aim to achieve any significant results.
During the meeting, Austin did express the US's concerns about China's involvement in Cambodia's Ream Naval Base on the Gulf of Thailand, which is in a strategic location close to the South China Sea. In December, two Chinese warships docked at the base.
Cambodian officials have insisted that the project respects their country's constitution and is not a military base. Chinese officials, in turn, have labeled such concerns as "hype" with "ulterior motives." Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the 1.3-million-square-mile South China Sea, a claim disputed by the US and its Indo-Pacific allies. Chinese vessels and aircraft have been known to harass others operating in the area, including American ships and planes.
The US has been alarmed, particularly in recent weeks, by China's aggressiveness towards Philippine vessels in the South China Sea using powerful water cannons and the large-scale military drills around Taiwan. The latter were conducted as punishment for the island's new president, who Beijing perceives as a sovereignty advocate.
As China maintains its close ties with Cambodia, US-Cambodian relations have grown strained. In 2017, military exercises between the two nations were canceled, and a US-built facility at Ream was demolished. The US has frequently criticized Cambodia's poor human rights record and democratic backsliding, and sanctions were imposed on individual Cambodians in response to the 2020 election, which the State Department deemed "neither free nor fair."
Austin's meeting with former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who serves as president of Cambodia's Senate, is perceived as a positive sign by US officials, as Hun Sen transferred power to his son, a military general. Additionally, the younger Hun Manet, also a West Point alumnus, is seen as more Westernized than his father.
Austin's visit to Phnom Penh concluded a five-day trip to Asia, where he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, cautioning against China's "coercive" activities in the region while seeking to strengthen the US's ties with Asian leaders.
In the first-ever face-to-face meeting with China's Defense Minister Dong Jun last week, Austin emphasized the importance of maintaining open military-to-military channels to prevent miscommunications and escalations.
In a subsequent speech, Dong, seemingly agreeing with Austin's position, cautioned against "external interfering forces" selling arms and having "illegal official contacts" with Taiwan, implicitly referring to the US. However, he also stated that China "never acts from the so-called position of strength."
A senior US official responded to Dong's speech by stating that it is "at complete odds with the reality" of the People's Liberation Army's coercive actions throughout the region.
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Even with China's close ties with Cambodia, Austin's visit to Asia underscores the US's commitment to engaging with nations in the region. The world watches as the balance of power in Asia shifts, with China's influence growing in countries like Cambodia, but the US remains committed to fostering partnerships that uphold international norms and values.
