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Q3) Can Cambodia, as a small state, balance itself between the U.S. and China in an
increasingly tense strategic environment?
ANSWER: Cambodia has had little room for maneuver in the past because the U.S.
imposed sanctions regularly for violations of human rights and policies that
undermined democracy. China, in contrast, shows no qualms about supporting the
authoritarian Hun Sen regime under its policy of “non-interference in the internal
affairs of other states.”
From independence in 1953, through the Sihanouk regime, and to the post-United
Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) era, Cambodia has sought to be
neutral and non-aligned. But sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other members of the
international community regularly since 1997 have left Cambodia with little choice but
to align with China.
The current U.S. rapprochement towards Cambodia, including a letter from President
Trump inviting Hun Sen to the United States for an ASEAN summit, will be welcomed
in Phnom Penh not least because it will bolster the legitimacy of the Hun Sen regime
internationally and domestically. Cambodia is likely to respond favorably to U.S.
military engagement activities for the same reason.