Cambodia – Asean-U.S summit provides golden opportunity to share a vision for future of cambodian-U.S relations.

Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Washington, U.S

Language: English

Duration: 00:06:24

Source: A24 

Restrictions: A24 Subscribers

Date: 12/05/2022

Storyline:

U.S President Joe Biden has hosted leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington today for talks on Trade relations, regional security and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The two-day summit is meant to demonstrate the United States’ commitment to being a partner with countries in the region.

Some critical issues — like the post-Covid economic revival, climate change the Myanmar coup and Security issues — are on the table at the meeting starting yesterday.

Cambodia holds the rotating ASEAN chair and up to eight leaders, including Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, attend the summit. 

Cambodian Government spokesperson H.E. Phay Siphan said the gathering is a golden opportunity for ASEAN leaders and in particular for the Cambodian premier to share the vision for the future of Cambodian-U.S relations.

The spokesperson praised the bilateral ties and said Cambodia enjoys ties of friendship and respect with the U.S, adding efforts were being exerted to solve a number of disagreements between the two countries.

He said the United States remains committed to supporting Cambodia in the sectors of Climate Change, agriculture, human resource and education.

Dr. Atef Abdel-Jawad, a political analyst and professor of political science at George Washington University, said that Asian countries would need to fulfill their needs either by cooperating with China or with the US, or both of them, without getting involved into a conflict with China.  

He added that ASEAN countries sought to balance their relations with China and the United States. Abdel-Jawad added that China has to submit some initiatives regarding the South China Sea to improve its ties with ASEAN countries.

ASEAN’s 10 members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Shot list:

( Soundbite ) H.E. Phay Siphan, Government Spokesman:

“So that this time, the golden opportunity that most parties of ASEAN understand well, what does the white house have an idea to those issues and how ASEAN can answer those issues, what the Americans at the white house wish, so that the two parties have an opportunity to sit down together and learn from each other in that time, not just for ASEAN but for Cambodia as well as for Prime Minister Hun Sen, get a chance, like going from the battlefield, to sit in front of the American politicians at the white house to share a vision, a new vision for ASEAN as well for a Cambodian future vision, to share, to live  together with the United States

And Cambodia, I mean, even though that a number of disagreements between Cambodian and American politicians, but we still working together, we still living together, we still respect each other and Cambodia respects the United States interests. We’re not seeing America as our enemy; we see America as our best friend in this situation.

Well, yes, there’s a number of areas that the United States commits to strongly to help Cambodia: Climate Change, agriculture, human resource education sectors as well as the other sectors that the United States commits to strongly to help Cambodia.”

( Soundbite) Dr. Atef Abdel-Jawad, a political analyst and professor of political science at George Washington University,

The principles for the US is that it does not seek to contain China in a way that would lead to a conflict with China. It did tell those group of countries in Southeast Asia as well as telling China that the really it doesn’t seek a choice between the US and China. Yes, it does need to contain China. The other Asian countries have needs that would require to fulfill either by cooperating with China or with the US, both of them, without getting involved and or dragged into a conflict with China. So there is a delicate balancing act on both parties, the US and those countries.

But there are other factors that may affect that strategic aim. Some of those factors relate to whether or not China will be willing to submit some initiatives regarding the South China Sea, whether or not the group of nations can persuade Myanmar to return to democracy. Some countries have their own disputes, territorial disputes, water disputes with China like Japan. There is also, as we have witnessed in the war in Ukraine, the possibility of miscalculation. Now, yes, they all seek to lessen tensions, but miscalculation can always defeat their purpose.