When Henry Cui, a Chinese-Canadian real estate investor, first arrived in Phnom Penh in 2019, he was optimistic about the opportunities awaiting him in Cambodia and the support that he would receive from the city’s large Chinese community. Yet, when he returned from abroad in 2022, another Chinese expatriate gave him some unexpected advice: “Don’t speak Chinese.”
This warning highlighted the shifting fortunes and perceptions of Cambodia’s Chinese community, which has been an indelible part of Cambodian society for the better part of a thousand years. But as the community’s image has become less about beautiful red temples and more about towering skyscrapers, so too have the perceptions of their role in Cambodia changed.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cambodia – particularly the capital Phnom Penh – was an economic hotspot. Cui marveled at the country’s rapid transformation, describing how it had “gone from the ground to the sky” in just a few years. Chinese investors like him flocked to the city. For new arrivals, the local Chinese community offered invaluable support.
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2024/12/dont-speak-chinese-stigma-and-fear-in-cambodias-chinese-community/
