Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

Cambodia and the U.S. Strategic
Pivot to Asia
September 13, 2022

We are preparing a study of Cambodia-U.S. relations. We request your assessment of

the following:
Where does the United States place Cambodia in its strategic pivot to Asia?
ANSWER: Currently, Cambodia occupies an elevated if not priority place in the
Biden Administration's Indo-Pacific Strategy because it is ASEAN Chair for 2022.
The U.S. hopes to see its relations with ASEAN raised to a comprehensive
strategic partnership at the end of the year and by necessity the U.S. must work
with Cambodia to achieve this goal.

Cambodia also has a special role in U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy because it is a

Mekong riparian state along with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The Biden
Administration has doubled down on supporting the sustainable development
of the Mekong River out humanitarian and strategic considerations.

Finally, Cambodia's relations with China are of concern to the Biden

Administration whose National Security and Indo-Pacific strategies identify
China as the United States' main competitor and rival. The Biden Administration
is concerned about the possibility of a Chinese military lodgement at Ream
Naval Base and is pressing diplomatically for more transparency on this issue.
The U.S. is motivated to offer Cambodia incentives to lessen its dependence on
China for development assistance.

United States strategy towards Cambodia, however, is bedevilled by U.S.

promotion of democracy and human and labour rights that has support in the
U.S. Congress. Legislation before the U.S. Congress could undermine U.S.
diplomatic efforts to engage with Cambodia under Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “Cambodia and the U.S. Strategic Pivot to Asia,”
Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, September 13, 2022. All background briefs are
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.