Chinese
premier Mao Tse Tung and then-Prince Norodom Sihanouk survey a mass
gathering in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square following Sihanouk’s overthrow
in March 1970 (Photo by: AFP)
Global Times
21 October, 2012
By Kassie Neou
By Kassie Neou
For the majority of Cambodians, the death of former king Norodom
Sihanouk on October 15 was the loss of a great national father who
dedicated his life for the sake of his country and his people. They
revere his long dedication to his country and his legacy as a unifying
national leader.
It is hoped that his legacy will allow Cambodia to advance the national healing process.
In early stages, Sihanouk's political life was developed through Southeast Asia's turbulent postwar history. In the 1940s, four of Cambodia's Northern provinces were invaded and occupied by armed forces from Thailand. Then in 1954, even after Cambodia had gained full independence from France, the Viet Minh forces infiltrated the country while its military situation remained unsettled.
Cambodia's past history of foreign subjugation and its very uncertain prospects for survival prompted the king to look for much stronger and more trustworthy allies. Cambodia's quest for security and nation-building assistance impelled the prince to search in Asia, and beyond, to accept help from all donors as long as there was no impingement upon his country's sovereignty.
It is hoped that his legacy will allow Cambodia to advance the national healing process.
In early stages, Sihanouk's political life was developed through Southeast Asia's turbulent postwar history. In the 1940s, four of Cambodia's Northern provinces were invaded and occupied by armed forces from Thailand. Then in 1954, even after Cambodia had gained full independence from France, the Viet Minh forces infiltrated the country while its military situation remained unsettled.
Cambodia's past history of foreign subjugation and its very uncertain prospects for survival prompted the king to look for much stronger and more trustworthy allies. Cambodia's quest for security and nation-building assistance impelled the prince to search in Asia, and beyond, to accept help from all donors as long as there was no impingement upon his country's sovereignty.
China has had a historic, cultural and commercial relationship with Cambodia. China has also played a prominent role in Cambodia's foreign relations since the country attained full independence in late 1953.
Cambodia engaged China in two distinctive areas: peace and national reconciliation; and economic development.
Cambodia's relations with China have been based on mutual interests. Sihanouk hoped that China would restrain the Vietnamese and the Thai from acting to Cambodia's detriment. China acceptance of Sihanouk's overtures has been a valuable counterweight to growing Vietnamese and Thai pressure on Cambodia.
Sihanouk was able to cultivate a profound, friendly relationship with different generations of Chinese leaders. In mid-1958, the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established. This friendly relationship laid a solid foundation for the long-standing cooperation between the two nations.
Sihanouk's experience with the French, as the leader of the "royal crusade for independence," led him to conclude that the US, like France, would eventually be leaving Southeast Asia.
From this perspective, the Western presence in Indochina was only a temporary interruption of the real dynamics of the region, continued by Vietnamese, and perhaps even Thai, expansion at Cambodia's expense. Friendly ties with China during the late 1950s and the 1960s were tactics designed to counteract these dynamics.
Cambodia does have some geopolitical significance to China. China's close ties with Cambodia have also served to provide leverage against Vietnamese influence in the region. China viewed Cambodia's nonalignment as vital in preventing the encirclement of the region by other powerful countries and their allies.
Cambodia is at the heart of Southeast Asia. The centralization of China in Cambodia is meaningful to the whole region.
Cambodia is pivotal to China strategies to project greater influence in Southeast Asia, a region which is home to roughly 500 million inhabitants and is an economically relevant trade partner to the US, the EU and Japan. The region accrues a gross national product of more than $700 billion and sits atop some of the most transited sea route.
Cambodia also has an important role in maintaining the overall situation of friendly relations between China and ASEAN. Cambodia and China have closely built up bilateral ties and cooperation and friendship.
At the recent ASEAN regional Summit in Phnom Penh, despite criticism by some political observers, Cambodia rightly opted to alleviate the tension by placing the South China Sea issue off the agenda. It is a proven fact that Cambodia and China have a long and close relationship with each other in both historical and contemporary cooperation.
The author is executive director of the Cambodian Institute of Human Rights. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn
6 comments:
I’d like to add to the article about the relationship between China and Cambodia. Cambodia, the first none-communist state, under Prince Norodom Sihanouk supported and recognized Mao Zedong, People Republic of China, as the legitimate government of China at the world stage while he disregarded Chiang Kai-Shek of Taiwan as the legitimate ruler of China. That’s certainly angered the West and Taiwan.
Zhou Enlai came to Cambodia to thank Prince Norodom Sihanouk. He said, “I would like to express my gratitude on the behalf of people of China. We’d like thank you and people of Kampuchea their support for China. When you owe someone money, it is easier to pay it back, but if you owe someone history, it is harder to pay for it.” Later Cambodia supported one China policy which is farther furious Taiwan. Today Cambodia stands with China again ASEAN and other Asian counties on the issue of South China Sea.
If we view media from Taiwan, we can see how much they are anti Sihanouk. They said that Sihanouk did nothing for China and Chinese people and that he should not grant any special privilege when he died in China comparing to those Chinese people who died by natural disaster. However, if we view the media from Mainland China, we can see how much they are pro Sihanouk. They said that Prince Norodom Sihanouk was a great friend of China and Chinese people. This is a great lost to both Cambodian people and Chinese people.
The last time Cambodia sided with China, she supported polpot in his psychotic effort to mass slaughter millions of Cambodians. If China supports pol pot 2.0 to slaughter millions of Cambodians again don’t come running to Vietnam and cry for help.
Vietnam only wanted to get independent from France and to gain the greatest Vietnam by trying rule Lao and Cambodia. The Vietnamese don't care who live or die. Now they are trying to get credit for whatever.
11:44AM - If your country (Vietnam) did not create KR the first place, we never had the problem. Your country dragged us into your war and illegally entered our country. We suffered immeasurably because of your evil race. Stop blaming China.
No Khmer would ever believe a single word out of your mouth.
Yes they do! Only the Vietnamese don't think so.
The North Vietnamese and the VietCong were the father, the teacher, and the creater of the Khmer Rouge.
Post a Comment