PHNOM PENH: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia on Tuesday (Jun 4) in an effort to reset ties with the staunch China ally.
Washington’s relationship with the Southeast Asian nation has been deteriorating for years, with China pouring in billions of dollars in infrastructure investments under Cambodia’s former leader Hun Sen.
The United States has voiced concerns over a key Cambodian naval base that is being upgraded by Beijing, which it says could be used to boost the Asian giant’s influence in the Gulf of Thailand.
En route from the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin landed in Phnom Penh on Tuesday for the one-day visit to “explore opportunities to deepen our bilateral defence relationship”, he wrote on social media platform X.
He first met Hun Sen – who stepped down in August after a nearly four-decade rule over Cambodia – and then held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet, who took over from his father.
“We discussed how the United States and Cambodia can strengthen our defence relationship in support of regional peace and stability,” Austin posted on X after meeting Hun Manet.
Both Austin and Hun Manet graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point – Austin in 1975 and Hun Manet in 1999.
In a Facebook post, Hun Sen said that he agreed with Austin’s desire “to improve relations” between the two countries that previously lacked “trust in each other”.
“Our relations are not too bad,” he said, urging the two sides to work to rebuild mutual trust.
Hun Sen, now the Senate president, told Austin that the two countries could improve ties by narrowing their differences, expanding cooperation, and relaunching dialogue between defence officials.
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