Prime Minister Hun Manet (left) receives outgoing US ambassador W Patrick Murphy for bilateral talks at the Peace Palace in Phnom Pen on May 7. STPM
Analysts have urged continued high-level exchanges between senior US and Cambodian leaders, in order to further strengthen and expand relations between the two countries. Visits between the leaders of the two nations remain rare, although meetings between officials have increased in recent times, after a period of reduced communication.
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, said recent Cambodia-US relations seem to be much improved, with US diplomats meeting with a number of senior Cambodian leaders.
He added that the leaders of the two countries appeared to demonstrate a commitment to further improving relations and increasing cooperation and seem to share common views on several regional and global issues.
“In order to support good relations between the two countries, first, I think the leaders of the two sides should find opportunities to meet frequently for honest dialogue,” he said.
“Second, high-level exchanges of visits between the leaders of the two countries should be encouraged, as we rarely see visits from the US to Cambodia and vice versa,” he added.
Phea explained that such visits served as an indicator of the depth and cohesiveness of relations between the two sides, adding that in particular, the US should arrange for its leaders to visit the Kingdom if it considers it an important country.
He believed that the US should find ways to engage with the Cambodian leadership and stakeholders that avoid one-sidedness or the setting of too many conditions.
“Neither side should take contrary issues or disagreements as a veil to cover the entire scope of relations between them.
“We should promote areas where we can work together. In other areas where we have not found common ground, we should try to understand each other and speak honestly. We must respect each other’s sovereignty and independence, but not interfere in each other’s affairs.
“The two countries should find good ways to work together, rather than under the shadow of Cambodia-China relations,” Phea said.
On May 7, Prime Minister Hun Manet and outgoing US ambassador to Cambodia W. Patrick Murphy held a bilateral meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh.
During the meeting, Manet praised Murphy’s “active” contribution to strengthening diplomatic relations and cooperation in his diplomatic mission in several areas, including education, health, tourism, culture, people-to-people exchanges and private sector connectivity, as well as the promotion of business and investment.
Manet said his government was ready to continue to expand Cambodia-US cooperation during the newly appointed US ambassador’s diplomatic mission, adding that his government would maintain its policy of equal relations with all countries based on consistency and sustainability.
He also stressed the introduction of new policies and action plans that aim to improve the Kingdom’s business environment and attract new investors, including from the US.
Murphy took to social media on May 7 to announce that he had joined Manet for a departing discussion on bilateral achievements and cooperation, as well as ways to improve US-Cambodia relations going forward.
“I’m proud of our friendship with the Cambodian people and support for all voices to be heard and respected,” he said.
Ro Vannak, co-founder of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy (CID), told The Post that US-Cambodia relations are up and down due to mistrust, US accusations of the possibility of a Chinese military presence in Cambodia, allegations of democratic regression, and issues of respect for human rights and trade union rights.
“Cambodia’s strong reliance on China is also an unfavourable factor in relations with this democratic power,” he said.
“However, Murphy appears to be pursuing soft diplomacy with Cambodia, especially with its new leader, in the hope of improving relations between the two countries. This policy seems to have failed because of restrictions on dissidents, as well as the continued detention of political prisoners and workers or unions,” he added.
He suggested that organising forums or dialogues between the leaders of the two countries, and promoting and expanding US investment in Cambodia, would build trust and confidence, along with the improvement or opening up of space for political freedom.
The maintenance of a liberal multi-party democracy and the release of political prisoners will enable the two countries to have better relations, for the benefit of the people of both nations, Vannak added.
“Cambodia should reconsider the possibility of joint military exercises with the US, Australia, or other democratic countries, in order to show that Cambodia is not exclusively conducting military exercises with China,” he said.
However, In Dara, ambassador and permanent representative of Cambodia to the UN and other International Organisations in Geneva, issued a May 5 statement claiming that the trade unionists were convicted for the offences they committed, not “for simply exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association”.
He noted that in Cambodia, as in other democratic societies, individuals are arrested and charged not on the basis of their political affiliation or role as trade unionists, saying that the charges derive solely from the commission of offences against the law.
Cambodia and China are set to hold the sixth “Golden Dragon” joint military exercise this month, under the theme “Joint counter-terrorism operation and humanitarian relief”.
The recent presence of two Chinese naval vessels at the Ream naval base in Preah Sihanouk was a cause of concern in some international media outlets, but the purpose of their visit was clarified by a Cambodian official.
Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Chhum Socheat explained that the visit was part of an agreement between the Cambodian defence ministry and their Chinese counterparts.
He added the Chinese forces were providing technical training and the use of new technologies to the Kingdom’s navy, as part of its ongoing modernisation process.
“The entry of the Chinese ships was also a test for the Ream port, which the Chinese side is helping to construct. Cambodia plans to buy similar ships to serve the defence sector in the future. This is not a Chinese military base in Cambodia,” he said, in a May 7 social media post.
