Cambodia-China ties deepen

Cambodia and China have launched their first joint foreign-and-defense “2+2” talks, putting security ties at the center of a relationship that Beijing calls “all-weather.” (apnews.com) The meeting was held in Phnom Penh on April 22 and was co-chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Defense Minister Tea Seiha. Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said the talks covered political cooperation, defense security and regional issues. (mfaic.gov.kh) China announced the mechanism on April 21 as part of Wang’s April 22-26 trip to Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. Chinese and Cambodian statements said the dialogue was the first of its kind between the two governments’ foreign and defense ministers. (mfa.gov.cn) (english.www.gov.cn) The format matters because it moves the relationship beyond trade and aid into regular, cabinet-level coordination on diplomacy and the military. Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said both sides used the meeting to deepen “mutual political trust” and “military cooperation.” (mfaic.gov.kh) The talks also come after a year of visible security cooperation around Ream Naval Base on Cambodia’s Gulf of Thailand coast. In April 2025, Prime Minister Hun Manet opened new China-funded facilities there, including what Cambodia called a joint support and training center. (amti.csis.org) (thediplomat.com) That base has drawn scrutiny from Washington for years over whether China could gain privileged military access. Cambodian officials have repeatedly said Ream is open to other friendly countries and does not host an exclusive foreign base, while analysts have argued the Chinese financing still expands Beijing’s operational reach. (thediplomat.com) (channelnewsasia.com) The new dialogue also follows Xi Jinping’s April 2025 visit to Phnom Penh, when China and Cambodia upgraded their language around an “all-weather” community with a shared future. In that visit, Xi met Hun Sen, now Senate president and still the ruling party’s dominant figure, as well as Prime Minister Hun Manet. (mfa.gov.cn) (apnews.com) Wang stayed in Phnom Penh after the April 22 session for more bilateral meetings on April 23, including talks with Prak Sokhonn. Cambodia said those discussions followed the “successful convention” of the first 2+2 meeting and focused on pushing ties further. (mfaic.gov.kh) For Cambodia, the 2+2 format formalizes a security relationship that had already been expanding through base construction, defense contacts and top-level political backing. For China, it gives Beijing a standing channel with one of its closest partners in mainland Southeast Asia. (apnews.com) (cambodianess.com)