Kem Sokha, Cambodia National Rescue Party deputy president, speaks at a press conference late last year. Sokha pledged his party’s support for the US during a visit to Washington last week. Heng Chivoan
CAMBODIA National Rescue Party deputy leader Kem Sokha pledged his party’s foreign policy allegiance to the United States over China in no uncertain terms to top officials in Washington, last week, according to a summary of his meetings posted online.
A document released by the US-based Cambodia National Rescue Foundation over the weekend gives a rundown of Sokha’s meetings with US State Department and Pentagon officials.
CNRP public affairs head Mu Sochua said last night that the document could be regarded as “legitimate”.
In a meeting on April 15 with the general principal director for South and Southeast Asia at the Pentagon, who is not named, Sokha “stressed that Cambodia [had suffered] enough with the communist”, the document says.
“So we don’t want to be ally with the communist like Red China. We want to be a USA ally,” he reportedly said.
In response, the US Department of Defense official said, according to the document: “This is what we want to hear and we will pass the message to our chain of command.”
In January, CNRP leader Sam Rainsy publicly said his party supported China in maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Though China is engaged in maritime disputes with numerous countries, Rainsy focused on Vietnam, which he accused of land grabbing, according to media reports.
US officials recently have more aggressively opposed China’s actions in the South China Sea and particularly its unilaterally declared air defence identification zone, accusing it of fomenting instability in the region.
Cambodia has long been regarded as one of China’s top regional allies, benefiting from huge loans, grants and investment projects.
According to the document, Sokha also met with Daniel Russell, US assistant secretary of state, on April 16, with Russell saying he was pleased the CNRP had held out on cutting a deal with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party to end the political deadlock until serious reforms were promised.
“I am delighted to see that you did not make the deal just for the sake of a deal. All the deals have to benefit Cambodia in [the] long run,” Russell said.
1 comment:
I would like to ask Mr Kem sokha to reflect deeply before taking a political position regarding the relationship between Cambodia and the two Superpowers: China and US. My position is of the following: our country with its 15 millions people is sandwiched between two bigger countries: thailand with its 67 millions people in the west and vietnam with its 93 millions people in the east. In the past, we were, with the king father as the head of state, struggling for the survival of our country. Marshal Lon Nol and Pol Pot also struggled to protect our territorial integrity. Currently, we khmers are struggling for the survival of our homeland against principally vietnam whose ambition is to colonize our country in order to form, with Laos the indochinese federation run by vietnam for the purpose of containing China. Our struggle for the survival of our country necessitates two things:
1. the unity of every cambodian disregarding his/her poilitical conviction.
2. the backing of at least one superpower and maximum of friends.
The interest of USA in Asia-Pacific is to contain China. To reach this purpose it[USA] has to rely on vietnam, phillipines and Japon. Therefore, USA and vietnam become friends and allies despite they are former ennemies and have the different political regime: USA is a great democracy, and vietnam is a communist country. Few months ago, vietnamese president was welcomed warmly with red carpet by USA president and officials. This, because they[USA and vietnam] have the same interest: containing China.
In this context for we, cambodians, it is not difficult to understand why we cannot rely on USA in our struggle against vietnam for the survival of our country. Therefore, the only superpower on which we can rely on is China. Notwithstanding China and Cambodia have different poilitical regime, we can be good friens and allies, because we have the same interest. China doesn't want vietnam become bigger by swallowing Cambodia and Laos. Don't forget that vietnam is claiming china islands Paracels and Spratly. Hence, if vietnam becomes stronger,it will be difficult for China to defend its territorial integrity against vietnamese ambition.
I agree totally with H.E. Sam Raingsy who declared :"But in international relations, ideology has become secondary, even irrelevant, at a time when national and strategic interests are the determining factors in choosing friends and allies. Look at the evolving relations between Vietnam and the US: the two former enemies – one communist, the other one capitalist – have become good friends and allies.
And when it comes to ensuring the survival of Cambodia as an independent nation, there is a saying as old as the world: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
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