What next for Cambodia’s US ties, China trade deals after Hun Sen’s certain electoral win?
- Washington’s distrust of Hun Sen and concerns about a possible Chinese military presence in Cambodia have affected attempts to improve ties
- While Cambodia has been trying to diversify its China-centric economic ties, its friendship with Beijing remains ‘unrivalled’, one analyst notes
On July 23, Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) are tipped to win 92 per cent of the 125 seats contested in the election, a walkover that will extend his long-time rule.
Phnom Penh has in recent years become increasingly reliant on Beijing, which has emerged as the kingdom’s largest source of aid and investments. China became the largest donor in Cambodia in 1999, and the largest foreign investor in 2011. A year later, it surpassed Japan as Cambodia’s largest official development aid and soft-loan provider.
China was by far Cambodia’s largest trading partner last year, with a trade volume of US$11.6 billion of which Chinese exports accounted for a staggering 89.38 per cent, according to figures from Cambodia’s customs and excise department – a 4.39 per cent increase from 2021.
Some 34.89 per cent – or US$10.446 billion – of everything Cambodia imports comes from China and the Southeast Asian nation’s trade deficit with its giant neighbour grew by 12.61 per cent last year, reaching US$9.205 billion from US$8.174 billion in 2021.
