US defense secretary visits Cambodia to strengthen ties with China’s ally

Austin met with Cambodian counterpart, Tea Seiha, and Prime Minister Hun Manet.
The visit aims to strengthen the ongoing good cooperation between the two countries.
Austin arrived from Singapore and held talks with Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun.

On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Cambodia to push for stronger military ties with China’s closest ally in Southeast Asia.
During a one-day visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Cambodian counterpart, Tea Seiha, and Prime Minister Hun Manet, as announced by Cambodia’s Defense Ministry. The statement said Austin’s visit would strengthen the ongoing good cooperation between the countries that has lasted more than 70 years.
Austin arrived from Singapore, where he attended the Shangri-La defense forum and held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun. The US and China gradually working to repair lines of communication between their militaries, which could be critical as tensions continue to rise between the two in the Indo-Pacific region.
For years, US relations with Cambodia have been frosty, largely due to Phnom Penh’s close ties with China, especially China’s military presence at a navy base in the Gulf of Thailand, which has been upgraded with Beijing’s assistance. Washington has also voiced concerns about what it perceives as Cambodia’s poor human rights record, characterized by ongoing clampdowns on political dissidents and critics.
Cambodian officials deny that China will have any special basing privileges and assert that their country maintains a neutral defense posture. Austin’s visit marked his first to Cambodia since Hun Manet became prime minister last year, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who held office for 38 years. The handover has sparked speculation about a reset in US-Cambodia relations, although Hun Manet has thus far upheld his father’s policies.
Hun Manet, Cambodia’s army commander before becoming prime minister last August, and Austin both graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point. Austin graduated in 1975, while Hun Manet became Cambodia’s first cadet there in 1999.
On Tuesday, Austin held separate talks with Hun Sen, who is now the president of the Senate. After leaving Cambodia, Austin will travel to France to attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landing, according to the US Defense Department.