SS: Karishma Vaswani, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia with a special focus on China, argues that Cambodia’s increasing reliance on Beijing for economic and political support threatens U.S. influence in Southeast Asia. China’s investments, such as the $1.7 billion canal and military upgrades at the Ream Naval base, have positioned Cambodia as a near client state, aligning its foreign policy with China on key issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea. Vaswani highlights the erosion of Cambodia’s democratic institutions, exemplified by its poor Rule of Law ranking and the arrest of journalist Mech Dara (who has since been let out on bail as of 28 October 2024), which underscores the growing authoritarianism fostered by China’s influence. To prevent Cambodia from drifting further into China’s orbit, Vaswani suggests that Washington must strengthen its engagement by promoting civil society, human rights, and democracy in the region, despite global distractions like the war in Ukraine and Middle Eastern turmoil.
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SS: Karishma Vaswani, a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia with a special focus on China, argues that Cambodia’s increasing reliance on Beijing for economic and political support threatens U.S. influence in Southeast Asia. China’s investments, such as the $1.7 billion canal and military upgrades at the Ream Naval base, have positioned Cambodia as a near client state, aligning its foreign policy with China on key issues like Taiwan and the South China Sea. Vaswani highlights the erosion of Cambodia’s democratic institutions, exemplified by its poor Rule of Law ranking and the arrest of journalist Mech Dara (who has since been let out on bail as of 28 October 2024), which underscores the growing authoritarianism fostered by China’s influence. To prevent Cambodia from drifting further into China’s orbit, Vaswani suggests that Washington must strengthen its engagement by promoting civil society, human rights, and democracy in the region, despite global distractions like the war in Ukraine and Middle Eastern turmoil.
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