Are Cambodia-U.S. Relations Mendable?
- Are Cambodia-U.S. Relations Mendable?
The essay analyzes the evolution of U.S.-Cambodia bilateral relations since the turn of the century and explores possible avenues that may help improve bilateral ties. Since 2000 the relationship has been troubled by differences over human rights and democracy, the China factor, and Cambodia's debt to the United States that was incurred during the 1970s. Nevertheless, both countries have an opportunity to promote mutual trust if they embrace the principles of mutual respect, noninterference, and equal sovereignty. The United States and Cambodia can find common ground to expand and deepen cooperation.
U.S.-Cambodian Relations since 2000
On the heels of decades of conflict, instability, and volatile U.S. relations, Phnom Penh's relations with Washington improved significantly after the 2003 national election in Cambodia. The two main political parties, the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and FUNCINPEC (Front uni national pour un Cambodge indépendant, neutre, pacifique et coopératif), managed to reach a deal and formed a government solely led by Prime Minister Hun Sen of the CPP. In the eyes of the United States, this move showed that the CPP at least accepted a pluralist government, even if it did not meet U.S. democratic standards. In early March 2006, CPP lawmakers amended the constitution from a two-thirds majority formula to a 50%-plus-one model that allowed the CPP to create a government on its own if it won the majority of votes or parliamentary seats in future elections.
Momentum for restoring bilateral ties grew after Secretary of State Colin Powell visited Cambodia in 2003 and the two countries normalized their relations. The first U.S. Peace Corps volunteers arrived in 2007, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Cambodia in 2010. From 2000 to 2009, the United States provided over $470 million in aid to improve health [End Page 124] and education systems, stimulate economic growth, and promote human rights and democracy in Cambodia.
From 2008 to 2010, U.S.-Cambodia defense and security cooperation also expanded considerably as Washington increased financial assistance and its training programs in the country. In 2008 the United States granted $4 million to assist in demining activities and offered loans and training to build the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces' capacity for participating in UN peacekeeping operations. An annual bilateral defense dialogue, established in 2008, became a foundation for defense and security cooperation, confidence-building measures, and operational topics of mutual concern. Cambodia and the United States created a security cooperation coordination group in September 2009 to discuss operational issues involving theater security cooperation. In the summer of 2010, Phnom Penh was invited to participate in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Program and received a port visit by the USS Tortuga. Cambodia and the United States also then co-hosted the U.S. Global Peace Operations Initiative capstone exercise Angkor Sentinel, which included around a thousand peacekeeping personnel from over twenty countries.1
Contemporary Economic Relations
Cambodia has become steadily dependent on the United States economically since its 1993 elections, after which Washington and its Western allies re-established economic ties with the country, having made democracy and human rights protection preconditions for accessing their markets. The Cambodian government signed a bilateral textile agreement with the United States in 1996, and the two sides have regularly met under their 2006 trade and investment framework agreement.2 Since 2010 the United States has emerged as a key market for Cambodian exports and one of the kingdom's most important donors. The United States is Cambodia's second-largest export market (around 23.9% of Cambodia's total exports) after the European Union (29.1%).3 The kingdom is currently the United States' 58th-biggest trading partner, with two-way trade [End Page 125] volume nearly tripling between 2010 and 2020 from $245.46 million to $690.63 million.4
Among its economic priorities, Cambodia has continually sought to retain the general system of preferences (GSP) designation from the United States and actively seeks U.S. investment. For example, in September 2020, the Cambodian ambassador to the United States, Chum Sounry, together with...
