Earlier this week, Vietnam and Cambodia both held the latest iteration of their defense policy dialogue. The mechanism, which came amid several developments, including new reports of a Chinese outpost in Cambodia and China-Vietnam tensions in the South China Sea, spotlighted how both sides are continuing to manage their defense ties amid these wider domestic and foreign policy developments that have tested relations.
As I have noted before in these pages, Vietnam and Cambodia, two neighboring Southeast Asian states, share a broad defense relationship as part of their wider diplomatic ties. Vietnam provides the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) with military equipment, infrastructure, and training, while both countries have also looked to manage more sensitive areas of the relationship such as outstanding issues over their shared 700-mile long border and illegal fishing.
