Cambodia-China 'Economic Closeness'

Military - Joint Military Exercises with China to Proceed as Scheduled Despite COVID-19 Situation
Medical - Seven Chinese Epidemic Prevention Experts Dispatched, Support Provided with Test Kits in 'Quarantine Diplomacy'
Economy - FTA to Be Signed by Year-End... Taking Advantage of Strained Relations with the US

[Asia Economy Phnom Penh Correspondent An Gil-hyun] While the United States struggles with the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), China is forming a strong honeymoon relationship with Cambodia, located on the Indochina Peninsula. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there are interpretations that China is eyeing hegemony in Southeast Asia.

According to local Cambodian media on the 31st, seven Chinese epidemic prevention experts and supplies such as test reagents, N95 masks, disposable masks, and medical protective suits recently arrived in Cambodia. As of the 29th, Cambodia's confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 100. China has dispatched medical personnel to Iraq starting on the 27th of last month, followed by Iran, Italy, and Serbia, but this is the first time experts have been sent to a member country of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The fact that Cambodia received support from China is significant as it occurred amid cooling relations with the United States. This can be interpreted as China taking the lead in the regional hegemony competition.

Since 2009, Cambodia has conducted the annual joint military exercise called Angkor Sentinel with the United States every March. The main activities include humanitarian aid, disaster response, emergency rescue, explosive ordnance disposal, and personnel and material transport. Additionally, the U.S. Navy Seabees have been engaged in aid activities such as building hospitals and improving school facilities worth about $5 million together with the Cambodian military since 2008. However, joint exercises between the two countries have been suspended since 2017. The Navy Seabees' $265,000 school restroom project and maternal and child health center construction were also canceled that year. Cambodia explained that it canceled the military exercises with the U.S. to focus on nationwide anti-drug campaigns and local elections, but the exercises have not resumed this year either.

On the other hand, Cambodia held the annual joint military exercise called Golden Dragon as scheduled on the 15th with China. This year’s exercise involved a total of 3,019 personnel, including 2,871 from the Cambodian military and 265 from the Chinese military, with equipment such as 10 helicopters, 10 tanks, and 21 armored vehicles deployed. Wang Wentian, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, said, "Cambodia is the first and only country with which China has conducted joint military exercises amid the COVID-19 crisis," adding, "This year’s exercise is the largest ever."

The Golden Dragon exercise has been held annually since its inception in 2016, except for 2017, and Western countries view Cambodia as a representative case of being influenced by China.

Especially, if the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is signed by the end of this year, economic closeness between the two countries is expected to accelerate. Earlier, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that the FTA with China would be signed at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) held in Cambodia this November. The FTA with China is Cambodia’s first bilateral FTA. This initiative started with Cambodia proposing it first to China ahead of economic sanctions from the European Union (EU).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang, while dispatching medical personnel to Cambodia, said, "This not only embodies the special bond between the two countries but is also natural from the perspective of a community with shared friendship and a common future," expressing support for Cambodia.

However, even if the two countries sign the FTA, the consensus is that China will find it difficult to replace the United States and the European Union (EU), which are Cambodia’s largest export markets and trade surplus partners. Cambodia runs a huge trade deficit with China every year. In 2017, Cambodia imported $6.1 billion worth of goods from China but only exported $1.3 billion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.