US Defence Secretary visits Cambodia amid concerns over China's influence

Phnom Penh [Cambodia], June 5 : US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has embarked on a visit to Cambodia to meet with the country's prime minister and defence minister, signalling growing apprehension in Washington over China's expanding influence in the region, CNN reported.
According to CNN, Austin's trip to the Cambodian capital on Tuesday marks his second visit to the Southeast Asian country as Secretary of Defense but is the first time a United States defence chief has travelled to Cambodia specifically to hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart, Defence Minister Tea Seiha.
The outreach reflects the US' desire to forge a better relationship with Cambodia, defence officials said, particularly as Beijing's influence over the country has only continued to grow in recent years.
"We believe there is potentially an opportunity, with leadership transition in Cambodia, for us to sit down and talk about how our relationship might have a more positive and optimistic path in the future," a senior defence official told reporters, referring to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, who took office last year following his father Hun Sen's nearly four-decade rule. "This isn't a visit that is about significant deliverables and achievements."
However, underlying the diplomatic outreach are palpable concerns regarding China's growing presence at Cambodia's Ream Naval Base. Austin expressed US apprehensions about China's funding and operations at the base, strategically positioned near the South China Sea. Despite Cambodian officials' assertions that the base won't serve as a foreign naval facility, China's deployment of warships in December raised alarm bells in Washington.
China's assertive claims over the vast expanse of the South China Sea have drawn sharp rebukes from the US and its Indo-Pacific allies. Recent incidents, including attacks on Philippine vessels and military drills near Taiwan, underscore Beijing's coercive tactics, fueling US anxieties over the prospect of China establishing a military outpost near crucial waterways, as reported by CNN.
Amidst China and Cambodia's reaffirmed military cooperation, relations between Washington and Phnom Penh have faced strains. Cambodia's cancellation of military exercises with the US in 2017 and the demolition of a US-built facility at Ream in 2020 reflect these tensions. Moreover, the Biden administration's imposition of sanctions on Cambodian individuals last year in response to flawed elections further strained bilateral ties.
Austin's meetings in Phnom Penh aimed to revitalise US-Cambodia defence cooperation, focusing on areas such as disaster assistance, UN peacekeeping, and military education exchanges. The discussions underscored mutual interests in bolstering regional peace and security while navigating the complexities of China's assertive actions in the Indo-Pacific.
Austin's visit to Cambodia concludes a broader Asian tour, during which he attended the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. At this forum, he sounded the alarm on China's coercive activities in the region, emphasizing the importance of deepening ties with key Asian partners to counter Beijing's assertiveness.
In a meeting with China's Defence Minister Dong Jun, Austin underscored the US commitment to maintaining open military channels to mitigate misunderstandings and prevent escalation. However, Dong's subsequent speech, condemning external interference and highlighting Beijing's perceived strength, stood at odds with China's coercive activities across the region, as noted by a senior US official, CNN reported.