Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh recently announced a hold on joint military exercises with the Chinese Communist Party, ostensibly citing the need to reduce spending during the Epidemic, but the country’s opposition believes the move was made to avoid angering the new U.S. administration.
Cambodia and the Communist Party of China have held the ‘Golden Dragon Exercise’ annually since 2018. This year, scheduled for March 13-27 at the 70th Brigade Military Training School in Kampot, the two countries will devote about 3,000 troops to live-fire drills of armored vehicles and demining equipment, among other training.
While many feared that the joint cross-country exercise would lead to the introduction of the virus into Cambodia during the dangerous global outbreak last March, Diban rejected this notion and held the exercise as usual.
Eng Chhai Eang, vice president of the banned Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), dismissed Diban’s argument that the joint military exercises were not held to save money, saying that the Chinese paid for the exercises. He argued that the real reason was that Cambodian authorities wanted to please the new U.S. administration and did not want the White House to think that Cambodia was lopsided toward the Chinese Communist Party.
Western donations and trade investments in Cambodia were cut off after the Cambodian Supreme Court ordered a ban on the ‘Cambodia National Rescue Party’ in November 2017. While Chinese money has flowed into Cambodia’s real estate, agriculture and entertainment sectors, unethical business practices by Chinese investors and improper behavior by Chinese residents have often outraged Cambodians. Many civil servants have also refused to receive the Wuhan pneumonia (Chinese Communist virus) vaccine provided by China.
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