China’s foreign minister visited Cambodia over the weekend to reaffirm his country’s commitment to the south-east Asian country after its prime minister handed the role to his son following a one-sided election last month.
Wang Yi is the first foreign leader to visit Cambodia, days after Hun Sen’s announcement that his 45-year-old son Hun Manet, the country’s army chief, is replacing him.
A video of the meeting was posted on Hun Sen’s Telegram channel on Sunday.
Hun Sen’s spokesman, Eang Sophalleth, told reporters after the meeting that Wang Yi expressed China’s willingness to co-operate with the newly-appointed prime minister.
Hun Sen, the longest-serving government head in Asia, and his party sealed a landslide victory in the country’s general election after barring the main opposition group – the Candlelight Party – from contesting the polls on a technicality.
Western nations and rights groups criticised the election, saying it was neither “free” nor “fair”.
Wang Yi met Hun Sen, his newly appointed son and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn.
He praised the election, saying it was free and fair, with more than 80% of Cambodians participating in the presence of several dozens of foreign observers.
On August 7, King Norodom Sihamoni formally appointed Hun Manet as the new premier. He will take office on August 22 when the new National Assembly adopts the new Cabinet.
Hun Manet won his first seat in Parliament in the election, and the handover from his father is part of a larger, generational shift, Many younger politicians – mostly educated in the West – are expected to take up ministerial positions, including Hun Sen’s youngest son and others related to older party members.
Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner, helping dampen criticism of Beijing within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, several of whose members are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
In return, China has gained an outsized role in Cambodian politics and the economy, as seen in the numerous Chinese-funded projects, hotels and casinos dotting the landscape.
China’s state banks have also financed airports, roads and other infrastructure built with Chinese loans. More than 40% of Cambodia’s 10 billion dollars in foreign debt is owed to China.
In June last year, China and Cambodia broke ground on a naval port expansion project that has raised concerns from the US and others that it could give Beijing a strategically important military outpost on the Gulf of Thailand.
Hun Sen in 2019 reportedly granted China the right to set up a military base at the Ream Naval Base. He has long denied that, saying Cambodia’s constitution prohibits foreign military facilities.
The ageing leader, who turned 71 last Saturday, said that stepping down as prime minister “is not the end yet” and he will serve in other positions at least until 2033, which would take him to half a century in office.
He is expected to retain a large amount of control as president of his Cambodian People’s Party and as the Senate president.
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