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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is one of the few strongman leaders in Southeast Asian countries.
Hun sen
Once a member of the Khmer Rouge, he eventually became Cambodia's longest-lived and most powerful leader, ruled in Cambodia for more than three decades, and at one point was China's closest Southeast Asian friend!
But in recent years, Hun Sen has an ambiguous relationship with Biden, and even has a tendency to lean towards the West! Is Cambodia still a friend of China?
What kind of tribulation did Hun Sen go through to get to his current position? Will he abandon the comprehensive strategic partnership with China?
This article will take you through the delicate and complex relationship between Hun Sen and China and the United States.
The youngest leader
In 1952, in Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, Hun Sen was born into a Chinese family, his ancestral home is in the Chaoshan region of Guangzhou, China, and his father fled with his family to Cambodia to seek a living at a very young age.
Soldiers of the Khmer Rouge organization
Hun Sen's childhood was not happy, the local attitude towards the Chinese was not friendly, and the family was poor, and he used to live in a temple. But he did not give up his studies and left home at the age of 13 to study in Phnom Penh.
Surviving by selling coolies and saving money. It was during his studies that he learned about the Khmer Rouge organization and communism from his classmates.
The Khmer Rouge refers to the Communist Party of Cambodia, founded in 1960 to propagate communism among the working people at the bottom of Cambodia in order to launch a revolution to change the fate of the people.
Hun Sen was deeply affected because he was also from a bitter background, and was willing to give everything in exchange for the progress of society.
At the age of 15, he joined the Khmer Rouge and began his revolutionary career.
Soldiers of the Khmer Rouge organization
The Khmer Rouge advocated an agrarian socialist state and fought a brutal civil war with the U.S.-backed Lon Nol regime.
On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and began a disastrous campaign for social transformation.
Although the Khmer Rouge ostensibly advocated socialism, there were strong extremist ideas at the top of the Khmer Rouge, which pushed things in a criminal direction, which eventually led to a series of tragic cases.
In this movement, millions of Cambodians have been forced to migrate from cities to rural areas, suffering from hunger, disease and violence in harsh conditions.
The Khmer Rouge also carried out mass killings of intellectuals, religious figures, ethnic minorities and opponents. Hun Sen, as a member of the Khmer Rouge, was also involved in this bloody history.
Pol Pot
He rose from a small soldier to regiment commander and lost his left eye in battle. But he also saw corruption and brutality within the Khmer Rouge and became suspicious and disgusted with its leader, Pol Pot.
On June 25, 1977, Vietnamese troops took advantage of Cambodia's civil unrest to invade eastern Cambodia and engaged in a fierce exchange of fire with the Khmer Rouge.
Hun Sen's 21st Division was sent to the front to resist the Vietnamese army. But during the battle, Hun Sen found himself not facing foreign invaders, but the people of neighboring countries who were also suffering. He also realized that the Khmer Rouge to whom he was loyal had become the Cambodian people's worst enemy.
On August 20, 1977, after a battle, Hun Sen led about 200 of his soldiers to surrender to the Vietnamese army and became one of the core members of the Cambodian National Salvation United Front (NRF), a group established with Vietnamese support against the Pol Pot regime.
Flag of the People's Republic of Kampuchea
Under the joint attack of the Vietnamese army and the National Salvation Front, the Pol Pot regime collapsed and fled to the northwestern mountains to continue the guerrilla war.
Hun Sen was at the heart of the guerrilla war, relying on his big-picture strategic command ability to thwart the enemy's schemes time and time again, and finally defeated the Khmer Rouge with like-minded friends.
On April 14 of the same year, with the support of Vietnam, Cambodia established a new government, the People's Republic of Kampuchea, and it was also at this time that Hun Sen truly rose to the top of politics, becoming deputy prime minister and foreign minister.
On January 14, 1985, after the death of former Prime Minister Peng Sai Xian, Hun Sen took over as Prime Minister of the Cambodian Communist Government, becoming the youngest head of government in the world!
He was only 33 years old at the time, and in the politics of other countries, he can be said to be a middle class that is not up or down.
Hun Sen in his youth
The young Hun Sen also faces the enormous challenge of not only rebuilding the country devastated by the Khmer Rouge, but also dealing with international isolation and sanctions, and even he does not know where the road leads, whether it is the abyss or paradise.
Hun Sen did not succumb to external pressure, but insisted on following his own path.
He actively promoted economic reform and social development, resumed agricultural production and infrastructure construction, and improved the people's living standards and education standards.
Most fortunately, Hun Sen knows how to take advantage of the situation, and he has worked to improve relations with neighboring countries and regional organizations, especially with China.
It is no exaggeration to say that without China, Cambodia would still be in chaos and turmoil. Hun Sen is the number one Chinese supporter among Southeast Asian countries.
Hun sen
China's number one supporter
Hun Sen has a long relationship with China, and during the Cambodian civil war, Hun Sen came to China to learn advanced guerrilla warfare and military-political concepts from China, and was received and supported by Chinese leaders.
In July 1991, as a national leader, Hun Sen visited China for the first time and was warmly received by then President Yang Shangkun and other Chinese leaders.
At that time, he was shocked by China's rapid development, and Hun Sen visited Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities, all far beyond Cambodia.
At that time, he had plans that Cambodia's relations with China must be improved, not only because of his ability to trust the Chinese government, but also because China also needs the support of brothers in Southeast Asia.
In 1993, Cambodia underwent great changes, the constitutional monarchy was restored, and the Royal Government of Cambodia was established.
Hun sen
Although the title changed from "Prime Minister" to "Prime Minister", Hun Sen's identity as a national leader did not change substantially.
He began to engage closely with China, cooperating in various fields such as economy and politics.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has repeatedly thanked China for its friendly cooperation and generous support, especially during the new crown pneumonia epidemic to provide Cambodia with a large number of vaccines to protect the lives of Cambodian people.
Hun Sen himself has said in public more than once, "Without the help of Chinese friends, it is difficult for our infrastructure to develop." "It can be seen that he has a friendly attitude towards China.
Hun Sen is not just talking, he also stands with China in practice, in contrast to the United States.
In 2016, the situation in the South China Sea was very tense, and the United States tried to win over some Southeast Asian countries and create anti-China voices to contain China's rise.
Hun sen
Hun Sen was also tempted by the United States, but he was not moved, and the Cambodian government did not succumb to the pressure and temptation of the United States, but firmly supported China's position on the South China Sea issue!
This friendship and loyalty has touched China very much, and the Western media Reuters has to admit that Washington's influence in Southeast Asia is being challenged.
There is no doubt that Cambodia is one of China's strongest partners in Southeast Asia.
Cambodia, a small Southeast Asian country, dared to provoke the United States, and the consequences can be imagined, and the United States soon began to interfere in Cambodia's internal affairs.
Since the second half of 2018, Cambodia has experienced a political turmoil triggered by the general election.
The ever-changing U.S.-Cambodia relationship
The United States, as the black hand behind the scenes, supports the opposition party's attempt to overthrow the Hun Sen government! In order to maintain national stability and sovereignty, the Hun Sen government decisively dissolved the opposition party and eliminated the US military and political power in Cambodia!
Hun Sen's boldness and ruthlessness were cultivated during Cambodia's civil war, and the little tricks of the Americans seem to be completely ineffective.
This tough attitude apparently angered the U.S. government, and the United States began spreading rumors that Chinese troops would be stationed in Cambodia to establish military bases radiating to Southeast Asia.
Among the U.S. population, Cambodia and China seem to be playing a big game and doing something bad for Southeast Asian countries.
With the help of this rumor, the US ambassador to Cambodia asked Hun Sen's government to inspect the so-called "Chinese military base."
Hun sen
The Americans initially thought that such a request would not be approved by Hun Sen. But Hun Sen's government did not refuse their request, but very generously agreed to allow them to go to the so-called Chinese military base for inspection.
Just as the so-called body is not afraid of the shadow oblique, Hun Sen and China are frank, naturally not afraid of the detection of such a young person as the United States.
And it turned out that what the United States said was fake news, and there was no evidence that there were Chinese troops or military facilities there!
Cambodia has made huge concessions, allowing U.S. soldiers to inspect its military bases.
If the United States can playfully stop and stop exerting pressure and interference in Cambodia at this time, perhaps this farce can come to an end.
But the US government is a government with no bottom line, and they have begun to use this excuse to try to further deepen their influence in Cambodia!
China and Cambodia deepen cooperation
The United States continues to threaten and sanction Cambodia, trying to isolate and suppress the Cambodian government and undermine China-Cambodia relations!
If it is an ordinary small Southeast Asian country, it is indeed very likely to be slumped by the United States, and Hun Sen is very likely to be ousted.
But Hun Sen has Chinese friends, and these actions of the United States can only make Cambodia stand more firmly on China's side and deepen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.
With China's assistance, Cambodian factories have received more Chinese orders, and Chinese companies have in-depth economic cooperation.
Hun Sen withstood the pressure of the United States and continued to lead Cambodia in a better direction.
Cambodia to the West?
Discerning people can see the close relationship between Hun Sen and China, which is the foundation of Cambodia's development, but in recent years, some of Hun Sen's actions have made outsiders feel quite confused.
There are even some analyses that suggest that Cambodia is tilting to the West, has Hun Sen abandoned his Chinese partner?
Against the backdrop of increasing tension and confrontation in U.S.-China relations, the United States is increasingly dissatisfied and uneasy with Cambodia, a small geostrategically important and pro-China country.
The United States sees Cambodia as a bridgehead for China's expanding influence and military presence in Southeast Asia, especially over China's establishment of military bases or the covert deployment of weapons systems at the Van Lang base.
Although it turns out that China has no intention of establishing a military base in Cambodia, the Americans do not think so.
The United States has a long tradition of setting up military bases around the world, putting their dirty strategy above other countries, "fantasizing" that China is also secretly deploying overseas bases.
The United States has tried to suppress, isolate, sanction or win over the Cambodian government through various means, forcing it to change its friendly policy towards China or abandon its interests towards China.
The United States has also made an even more absurd demand that American troops and other military officers enter Cambodian military bases frequently every day, arguing that it will increase transparency and trust.
Is this equivalent to your neighbor demanding that he have a key to your bedroom and be able to enter and exit your room at will, just to deepen their friendship?
Biden
The Americans have always been so overbearing that the United States even demanded that Cambodia must tell them the translation of the communication code of the domestic military base. These unreasonable demands made Cambodia feel very dissatisfied and angry!
Biden even personally pressed Cambodia's military bases not to be interfered with by China, even if they were sold reasonably and legally.
He asked Hun Sen not to trade weapons with China, nor to allow China to help build related military facilities!
These demands were rejected by Hun Sen, who knew that if Cambodia lost its Chinese partner, the United States would come like a vulture to encroach on Cambodia!
But even so, Cambodia did not dare to completely turn its face, because Hun Sen knew that if small countries dared to openly take the lead in offending the United States, Cambodia's fate would be quite tragic.
China can turn against the United States because China has vast territory, rich resources and a huge consumer market, while Cambodia does not.
If the United States really increases sanctions against Cambodia, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Hun Sen must not lose China, he cannot lose the United States, he is a loyal partner of China and the prime minister of Cambodia, he must think for the country.
In May 2022, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's letter to Biden was exposed, in which he hoped to deepen cooperation with the United States and even become a "strategic partner" of the United States.
Cambodia
The exposure of this letter set off a huge storm of public opinion for a while, and everyone was saying that China lost Cambodia and the situation in Southeast Asia will be thoroughly mastered by the United States! Similar rhetoric is rife, but media outlets advocating similar views selectively ignore the content behind the letters.
In the same letter, Hun Sen also said that "Cambodia will continue to firmly support China's position on the South China Sea issue."
From this point of view, Hun Sen is still on China's side, but for more interests, he also has to move closer to the United States.
Cambodia has been oppressed and sanctioned by the West for many years in terms of human rights, democracy, and trade, and Hun Sen may really not be able to withstand the pressure within the Cambodian government and have to soften to the United States.
Hun Sen is a smart man, China is obviously more important to Cambodia than the United States, and in the short term, he is still a friend of China.
Rather than relying entirely on China or completely resisting the United States, Hun Sen is trying to find a place and role between the two powers that suits Cambodia itself.
The international situation is volatile, and there are no permanent allies in the world, and China knows this.
Instead of pulling gangs and finding allies, China is more willing to strengthen itself, after all, the iron must be hardened by itself.
Left and right is the way for small countries to survive, and the rise of big countries also has its own way for China!
Resources:
[1] Gu Jiayun. Hun Sen,"International retrograde" visiting China during the special period[J].World Knowledge,2020,No.1768(05):62-63.)
[2] HE Sheng. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen[J].International Data and Information,2008,No.249(09):25-28.)