【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】
Recently, Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol has frequently spoken out publicly and given interviews to foreign media, striving to attract investment.
According to a January 14 report by the UK's Financial Times, Sun Chanthol said in an interview that Cambodia is seeking to reduce its reliance on its largest foreign investor - China - to protect its economy from the impact of the competition between the US and China superpowers.
"When Trump announced the 'Liberation Day' tariffs, it hit us like a thunderbolt," Sun Chanthol said, "we cannot rely on just one country."
Sun Chanthol continued to say that small countries "can't afford to take sides in the Sino-US competition." He also said, "When elephants fight, it's best to stay away. Cambodia can survive by not taking sides."
Last April, US President Trump raised tariffs globally, threatening to impose a 49% tariff on Cambodia. Since then, Cambodia negotiated to lower the rate to 19%, consistent with neighboring Southeast Asian countries. Sun Chanthol led the trade negotiations with the US.
The report noted that China is Cambodia's largest donor and trading partner, accounting for more than half of the country's total investments. China is also the largest source of raw materials for Cambodia's export-oriented manufacturing industry. Data from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows that in 2024, bilateral trade between China and Cambodia reached 17.834 billion USD. Of this, China's exports to Cambodia were 15.336 billion USD, up 20.2%, while Cambodia's imports from China were 2.498 billion USD, up 20.7%.
Sun Chanthol recently gave an interview to foreign media, Cambodia media
But the Financial Times noted that over the past year, Cambodia has started taking measures to strengthen its relations with the United States.
In the interview, Sun Chanthol said that Cambodia is trying to diversify its investor portfolio and seek export markets outside the US. The US is the largest destination for Cambodia's manufactured goods, such as sports shoes and sportswear, accounting for 40% of its exports.
In recent months, Sun Chanthol has visited the US, Canada, Japan, and South Korea to attract investment.
He claimed that Cambodia is particularly focused on reducing its dependence on Chinese investment and raw materials because the country expects the US to take further actions against China, including implementing strict requirements for the origin of goods entering the US.
"We believe the US's 'origin rules' may change, and the US may clearly limit which components and what proportion come from which country," Sun Chanthol said. The report mentioned that the US had previously threatened to impose tariffs of up to 40% on goods transshipped from China through third countries, but has not yet specified how to define such goods.
A few years ago, US politicians baselessly speculated and intentionally hyped up the idea that China was secretly building a naval base in Cambodia's Sihanoukville. Both Cambodia and China denied this. Later, Vietnamese and Japanese warships visited the base, and the rumors fell apart.
When talking about this, Sun Chanthol said that with the "misunderstanding" clarified, relations between Cambodia and the US have improved. He also revealed that a US warship is expected to visit the Sihanoukville base this year. The US government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the Financial Times report, currently, Cambodia faces many domestic challenges, including long-standing border conflicts with Thailand, and large-scale criminal networks operating in online fraud within the country. These challenges have affected tourism and undermined economic growth. The World Bank estimates that Cambodia's economic growth slowed to 4.8% last year, down from 6% in 2024.
Sun Chanthol reiterated Cambodia's commitment to cracking down on online fraud, stating that the government "takes this issue very seriously."
Regarding the border conflict, he said, "We need to resolve it peacefully; Cambodia needs peace to build the nation."
Recently, Sun Chanthol has repeatedly emphasized that Cambodia is willing to welcome all foreign investments through peaceful and politically stable measures.
According to local Cambodian media, on January 12, Sun Chanthol visited a factory and stated that Cambodia is the first country in the world to sign a reciprocal trade agreement with the US, which benefits exports to the US. He emphasized that Cambodia "is ready to welcome all foreign investments."
On the 13th, Sun Chanthol gave an interview to the Japanese media "Nikkei Asia." Local media said that this interview aimed to "enhance confidence of foreign enterprises in investing, attract high-quality investment capital, and promote sustainable national economic growth."
Last October, Trump and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet talked at a signing ceremony, Visual China
Recently, as Cambodia has been working to attract foreign investment, there have been speculations about the Sino-Cambodia relationship.
"Trump Highway - How Did China's Ally Flirt With the US?" The UK's Financial Times published an article with this title on January 6. A previously obscure road in Phnom Penh became the focus of Western media hype simply because it was proposed to be named after Trump, even being viewed as a signal of Cambodia's policy shift amid the intensifying Sino-US competition.
Uvira, chairman of the Phnom Penh think tank "Future Forum," said: "Cambodia actually cannot remain neutral."
"Neither the US nor China will allow a small country to remain neutral, and the world is becoming increasingly polarized today." He pointed out that Cambodia especially needs to be careful to avoid angering China, otherwise "it might lose this major supporter."
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jia Kun once addressed related concerns, emphasizing that China and Cambodia are close friends who support each other and face difficulties together. The traditional friendship between the two countries was personally created by the leaders of the two countries, has withstood the test of changing circumstances, and conforms to the fundamental interests of the two countries and their people, possessing strong vitality and broad prospects. It is unshakeable and unbreakable by any force.
Guo Jia Kun emphasized that the construction of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future has brought real benefits to the people of the two countries. China has been Cambodia's largest source of foreign investment and largest trading partner for many consecutive years. Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown nearly four times over the past decade. Cambodian leaders have repeatedly publicly emphasized that China is Cambodia's most trusted friend, and being friendly with China is a firm political consensus of the Cambodian government, political parties, and people.
"We firmly believe that the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia will not be disturbed. We will not allow anyone to maliciously defame the friendship between China and Cambodia. Any false rumors will bear legal responsibility and consequences," Guo Jia Kun said.
This article is exclusive to Observer Net, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7595381690508362249/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.