U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia on Tuesday to strengthen military ties with China's closest ally in Southeast Asia. During his one-day visit to Phnom Penh, Austin met with Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Seiha and Prime Minister Hun Manet. The Cambodian Defense Ministry stated that the visit aimed to enhance the longstanding cooperation between the two countries, which has spanned over 70 years.
Prior to his visit to Cambodia, Austin attended the Shangri-La defense forum in Singapore and engaged in discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun. This comes as the U.S. and China are working to improve communication between their militaries amidst escalating tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Historically, U.S.-Cambodia relations have been strained due to Cambodia's close alignment with China. Washington has raised concerns about China's military presence at a navy base in the Gulf of Thailand, which has received upgrades with Chinese assistance. Additionally, the U.S. has criticized Cambodia's human rights record, citing crackdowns on political dissidents and critics.
Cambodian officials have refuted claims of granting special basing privileges to China, emphasizing their country's neutral defense stance. Austin's visit marked his first trip to Cambodia since Hun Manet assumed office as prime minister, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who held the position for 38 years.
Hun Manet, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point like Austin, previously served as Cambodia's army commander. Austin also held discussions with Hun Sen, who currently serves as the president of the Senate. Following his visit to Cambodia, Austin is scheduled to travel to France to participate in events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landing, as announced by the U.S. Defense Department.
