Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported on August 14: "Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet announced that Cambodia and the United States will resume their long-suspended joint military exercises next year, aiming to repair Cambodia-U.S. relations strained by Phnom Penh’s increasingly close ties with Beijing."

On Friday, August 14 local time in Cambodia, Hun Manet met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, Elbridge Colby, in Phnom Penh.

Following a closed-door bilateral meeting, Hun Manet announced the news via a post on his personal Facebook page, which prompted the report by Lianhe Zaobao.

The core of this news is Cambodia’s effort to maintain its close relationship with China while seeking balance and reconciliation with the United States. This reflects Cambodia’s hedging strategy, aimed at maximizing national interests.

The resumption involves the “Angkor Sentinel” joint military exercise, initiated in 2010 but unilaterally canceled by Cambodia in 2017. The trigger was the U.S. suspension of part of its aid to Cambodia over concerns about “democratic governance deterioration,” though deeper reasons lay in Cambodia’s further tilt toward China at the time.

Hun Manet’s decision reflects his diplomatic balancing act and pragmatic needs—to hedge against risks, escape the dilemma of having to choose sides, and signal goodwill to the United States by restoring military drills, thus pursuing dynamic equilibrium among major powers.

Hun Manet himself holds an education background from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which may make him more open to advancing military exchanges between the two countries.

Implications and Trends Moving Forward

For the United States: Countering Chinese Influence

This is part of its broader Indo-Pacific Strategy, leveraging Cambodia to counterbalance China’s growing influence in Southeast Asia.

For China: Stable Relations with Potential Variables

In the short term, this does not affect the “ironclad” friendship between China and Cambodia. China remains Cambodia’s largest investor and trading partner, and the “Golden Dragon” joint military exercises continue as scheduled.

Over the long term, however, the strengthening of U.S. military presence in Cambodia is a variable worth monitoring.

The resumption of these military drills represents a delicate diplomatic tightrope walk by Cambodia amid great power competition. It does not imply any intention to distance itself from China; rather, it reflects the Hun Manet government’s proactive strategy of strategic balancing to secure maximum strategic space. As Hun Manet himself stated, Cambodia’s goal is “not to pick sides between China and the United States.”

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873586494984201/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.