US Protection Secretary Austin meets Cambodia’s high officers in pursuit of stronger ties with China’s ally

• U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Cambodia to push for stronger army ties with China’s closest ally in Southeast Asia. 
• Previous to assembly with the protection secretary and prime minister, Austin was in Singapore on the Shangri-La protection discussion board the place he met along with his Chinese language counterpart. The U.S. and China are working to restore communications.
• Cambodia’s shut ties with China and america’ criticism of what it sees as Cambodia’s poor human rights file have left U.S.-Cambodia relations chilly in recent times.

U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to Cambodia on Tuesday to push for stronger army ties with China’s closest ally in Southeast Asia.

Austin met his Cambodian counterpart, Tea Seiha, and Prime Minister Hun Manet throughout a one-day go to to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s Protection Ministry mentioned in an announcement. It mentioned Austin’s go to would strengthen the continued good cooperation between the international locations that has lasted greater than 70 years.

Austin arrived from Singapore, the place he attended the Shangri-La protection discussion board and held talks along with his Chinese language counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, because the U.S. and China step by step work to restore strains of communications between their militaries that could possibly be vital as tensions proceed to rise between the 2 within the Indo-Pacific area.

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U.S. relations with Cambodia have been frosty for years, largely due to Phnom Penh’s shut ties with China, and notably China’s army presence at a navy base within the Gulf of Thailand that has been upgraded with Beijing’s help. Washington has additionally been vocal about what it sees as Cambodia’s poor human rights file, which has seen persevering with clampdowns on political dissidents and critics.

Cambodian officers deny China may have any particular basing privileges and say their nation maintains a impartial protection posture.

The go to was Austin’s first go to to Cambodia since Hun Manet turned prime minister final 12 months, succeeding his father Hun Sen, who held workplace for 38 years. The handover has led to hypothesis of a reset in U.S.-Cambodia relations, although to this point Hun Manet has maintained his father’s insurance policies.

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Hun Manet was Cambodia’s military commander earlier than changing into prime minister final August. Each Austin and he graduated from the U.S. Navy Academy at West Level — Austin in 1975 and Hun Manet in 1999, as Cambodia’s first cadet there.

Austin additionally held separate talks Tuesday with Hun Sen, who’s now the president of the Senate.

From Cambodia, Austin will go to France to attend occasions commemorating the eightieth anniversary of the World Conflict II D-Day touchdown, the U.S. Protection Division mentioned.