Chinese foreign minister arrives in Cambodia, Beijing's closest ally in Southeast Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Cambodia on Sunday for a three-day official visit to reaffirm ties with Beijing's closest ally in Southeast Asia. His visit is the final stop on a three-country regional drive that also took him to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

He is visiting amid foreign concerns over two major Chinese-funded projects in Cambodia, a planned canal and a naval base that critics claim could help Beijing's strategic military interests in Southeast Asia.

China is Cambodia's most important ally and benefactor, with strong influence on its economy. This is illustrated by numerous Chinese-funded projects, especially infrastructure, including airports and roads, but also private projects such as hotels, casinos and property development. More than 40% of Cambodia's $10 billion foreign debt is owed to China.

Wang is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, Hun Sen, who now serves as Senate president after serving 38 years as Cambodia's head of government until stepping down last year to succeed from his son. Wang was also granted a royal audience with King Norodom Sihamoni.

Hun Manet has shown no sign of deviating from the pro-Beijing foreign policy of his fathers. In August 2023, Wang visited Cambodia just days after Hun Sen announced he would step down as prime minister in favor of his eldest son.

Beijing's support allows Cambodia to ignore Western concerns about its poor political and human rights record, and in turn Cambodia generally supports Beijing's stances on foreign policy issues such as its claims territorial in the South China Sea.

Cambodia has recently reiterated its determination to proceed with the Chinese-funded 180-kilometer (112-mile) long, $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal project across four provinces in the southern part of the country to connect the capital, Phnom Penh, with the Gulf of Thailand.

The plan has sparked concern from neighboring Vietnam, where some researchers speculated that the 100-meter-wide and 5.4-meter-deep canal could make it easier for China to send military forces south, near Vietnam. south coast. There are often frosty relations between Vietnam and its massive northern neighbor, China, which aggressively claims maritime territory claimed by Hanoi and in 1979 staged a brief invasion.

The United States has also weighed in on the project, calling for transparency from the Cambodian government. Wesley Holzer, a spokesman for the US Embassy in Phnom Penh, was quoted as telling VOA that the Cambodian people, along with people in neighboring countries and the wider region, would benefit from transparency about any major undertaking. with potential implications for regional water management, agricultural sustainability and security,

Hun Manet, speaking to government officials and villagers in southern Takeo province on Thursday, dismissed the Vietnamese concern and vowed to press ahead with the project, which he said would provide a huge benefit to Cambodia.

China is also involved with another project causing foreign concern, its Ream Naval Base in the Gulf of Thailand, which the United States and some international security analysts say is intended to serve as a strategic naval outpost. of Beijing.

The Ream base first drew attention in 2019 when The Wall Street Journal reported that an early draft of an agreement seen by US officials would allow China 30-year use of the base, where it would be able to station military personnel. , to guard weapons and beds. warship.

Hun Sen in response repeatedly denied that there was such an agreement, stressing that Cambodia's constitution does not allow foreign military bases to be established on its soil and stating that visiting ships from all nations are welcome.

The base is located in the Gulf of Thailand, adjacent to the South China Sea, where China has aggressively asserted its claim to nearly the entire strategic waterway. The US has refused to recognize China's sweeping claims and routinely conducts military maneuvers there to reinforce its status in international waters.

On December 7, two Chinese naval vessels became the first vessels to dock at a new pier at the base, coinciding with an official visit to Cambodia by China's top defense official.