China’s foreign minister Wang Yi is expected to arrive in Cambodia
on Sunday, in a trip that signals deepening ties between the neighbours but also comes at a time Phnom Penh is concerned about becoming a ground for Sino-American competition, analysts say.
In the first stop of his four-nation tour to Southeast Asia, Wang is expected to meet Prime Minister Hun Sen, Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the Cambodian foreign affairs ministry said.
China is Cambodia’s biggest source of foreign direct investment, its top trading partner, and also is the holder of 46 per cent of the country’s US$7.9 billion foreign debt. Its growing presence in Cambodia has led the country to get caught in the crossfire of the US-China rivalry.
