Cambodia Strengthens Military Ties with China

Cambodia is strengthening its military ties with China. Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh spent five days in China earlier this month. He met with high-level military officials and received promises of assistance from the military.

Mr. Tea Banh told VOA his visit was successful in bringing military cooperation between the countries even closer. He said Cambodia now has stronger military ties with China than with the United States.

Observers say Cambodia is likely to seek closer ties with China because of growing tensions with Vietnam over border issues.

Cambodia and China have traditionally enjoyed good relations. But the two sides grew closer after a 2012 summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). At the meetings, Cambodia supported China in a dispute with other countries over the South China Sea. The following year, China provided a $195 million loan to the Cambodian government. Cambodian officials used that money to buy 12 Chinese military helicopters. In May of this year, China promised military trucks, equipment and chemicals to Cambodia’s military.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has often spoken about his country’s ties with China. He spoke in Kampong Som province last month at ceremonies for the opening of a road that China built. Mr. Hun Sen told a group of farmers that relations with China were stronger than ever before. He said the two sides were moving toward what he called a comprehensive partnership. He said China’s development fund for Cambodia for 2015 was $140 million -- $40 million more than in 2014.

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None of this is a surprise. US foreign policy in ASEAN has been a tragic farce, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.

Nobody forgets the Vietnam War, nor the random bombings in 1969 over Cambodia and Laos where the official US transcript reads "we had all those planes loaded and ready to go when Johnson cancelled the bombing raids over Vietnam. we couldn't just let them sit there". Most Americans are unaware what happened. Thousands of farmers and rural workers were slaughtered. It is impossible to justify, and so is not in US history books for secondary or primary schools.

The chickens are not coming home to roost. They are already there.

These are indeed troubling developments.

Looks like all of southeast Asia is going insane, by going Chinese.

None of this is a surprise. US foreign policy in ASEAN has been a tragic farce, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.

Nobody forgets the Vietnam War, nor the random bombings in 1969 over Cambodia and Laos where the official US transcript reads "we had all those planes loaded and ready to go when Johnson cancelled the bombing raids over Vietnam. we couldn't just let them sit there". Most Americans are unaware what happened. Thousands of farmers and rural workers were slaughtered. It is impossible to justify, and so is not in US history books for secondary or primary schools.

The chickens are not coming home to roost. They are already there.

While I certainly wouldn't blame Cambodians for holding a grudge against the US for the war, but I think this has much more to do with money. Lots and lots of money. I would also disagree also that most Americans are unaware of what happened during the war. Sure, the stupid few that didn't pay attention in history class perhaps but not those of use who actually attended school or watch the news. We committed a lot of sins in SE Asia during the war and most of it has been out in the open and discussed publicly for years.

None of this is a surprise. US foreign policy in ASEAN has been a tragic farce, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.

Nobody forgets the Vietnam War, nor the random bombings in 1969 over Cambodia and Laos where the official US transcript reads "we had all those planes loaded and ready to go when Johnson cancelled the bombing raids over Vietnam. we couldn't just let them sit there". Most Americans are unaware what happened. Thousands of farmers and rural workers were slaughtered. It is impossible to justify, and so is not in US history books for secondary or primary schools.

The chickens are not coming home to roost. They are already there.

Many people in SEA have never heard of the Vietnam war.

It was the US war to them.

And the bombs are still going off crippling many people by losing their leg(s) to this day.

None of this is a surprise. US foreign policy in ASEAN has been a tragic farce, costing billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.

Nobody forgets the Vietnam War, nor the random bombings in 1969 over Cambodia and Laos where the official US transcript reads "we had all those planes loaded and ready to go when Johnson cancelled the bombing raids over Vietnam. we couldn't just let them sit there". Most Americans are unaware what happened. Thousands of farmers and rural workers were slaughtered. It is impossible to justify, and so is not in US history books for secondary or primary schools.

The chickens are not coming home to roost. They are already there.

Many people in SEA have never heard of the Vietnam war.

It was the US war to them.

And the bombs are still going off crippling many people by losing their leg(s) to this day.

I think you're a bit (quite) confused.

The landmines responsible for the high rate of amputees in Cambodia were placed by Cambodians themselves, Khmer Rouge, Hun Sen, and other factions.

The US has done plenty of bad acts, but your post is delusional.