Why This Project?
In the modern history of Cambodia, no country has loomed as
large as China. Beijing wields pivotal influence on its smaller
and poorer southern neighbor – from providing ideological
inspiration and patronage for the Khmer Rouge and its radical
revolution in the 1970s, to granting a home in exile for
Cambodia’s deposed monarch, to offering investment and
legitimacy to Hun Sen’s authoritarian state today. For Hun Sen,
China’s “no strings attached” aid has helped war-torn Cambodia
build a modern infrastructure, and diplomatic support from
Beijing helps him fend off human rights criticism from the West.
At the same time, however, Cambodians are increasingly wondering
if China’s footprint in their country is too big. Rural
communities struggle with pollution and deforestation driven by
Chinese resource extraction businesses, not all of which is done
according to law, and farmers worry about their livelihoods as
China’s expanding system of dams dramatically reduce water flows
from the vital Mekong River. Cambodia’s Southeast Asian
neighbors and fellow members of ASEAN complain that Phnom Penh
now acts as a proxy for Beijing, dividing the 10-nation group on
critical issues like the South China Sea.
This project aims to take a systematic look at the way in which
Beijing has gained and continues to grow its influence over
Cambodia. From military aid to infrastructure investment, to
mining and logging and even to immigration, RFA’s Khmer Service
will dig deep into this complex relationship.