West opens up to Hun Manet

Relations between European countries and Cambodia's new premier get off on the right foot

By Tommaso Magrini

Having become premier of Cambodia last summer, Hun Manet is expanding his presence on the international stage. The son of former premier Hun Sen was recently in Davos for the World Economic Forum and then traveled to France, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron. The trip to Paris was seen as a success for Manet, who returned with $235 million in development agreements with France to build energy and drinking water infrastructure and support vocational training in Cambodia and a commitment to work toward a "strategic partnership." The trip also highlighted how, at various levels, Western countries saw Manet's administration, which came to power in August, as an opportunity to improve relations after nearly four decades of his father's rule. Post-election changes in tone were not limited to France. The United States had initially "suspended" an $18 million aid package after the elections, which a State Department official described as "neither free nor fair." But the decision to suspend aid was reversed two months later to "encourage the new government to live up to its stated intentions to be more open and democratic." At the Davos Economic Forum, the director of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, posted a photo with Manet on social media saying they discussed "the importance of protecting the environment, civil society and fighting corruption." Manet, who studied in the West and has a doctorate in economics, is seen as a real improvement over Hun Sen, say diplomatic sources cited by Nikkei Asia. Of course, there is no shortage of sticking points, but for now many seem willing to hope for a gradual change of pace with the new leader.