Almost one in every five Cambodians has already received a dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine, catapulting the country well past wealthier, bigger Southeast Asian neighbours. Like the doses, the success story is labelled ‘Made in China’.
Already one of China’s closest allies, Cambodia kickstarted inoculations with a bigger donation of vaccines from China than any other country in the region – in addition to Chinese vaccines it had already bought itself.
Cambodia’s early progress reflects Beijing’s vaccine diplomacy in a region where competition with U.S. influence is intense, but has increased concerns among some Cambodians over the closeness of those ties. The United States announced its first major donations to Asia last week.
