Cambodia thinks regional, and global

As Cambodia takes on the chairmanship of ASEAN, it’s wrestling with how actively to push diplomacy on the South China Sea issue. And it may also be thinking about what its turn at the head of the regional organization will mean for its UN Security Council ambitions. Via Voice of America (h/t Taylor Fravel): Political ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

As Cambodia takes on the chairmanship of ASEAN, it's wrestling with how actively to push diplomacy on the South China Sea issue. And it may also be thinking about what its turn at the head of the regional organization will mean for its UN Security Council ambitions. Via Voice of America (h/t Taylor Fravel):

As Cambodia takes on the chairmanship of ASEAN, it’s wrestling with how actively to push diplomacy on the South China Sea issue. And it may also be thinking about what its turn at the head of the regional organization will mean for its UN Security Council ambitions. Via Voice of America (h/t Taylor Fravel):

Political analysts say Cambodia should take advantage of its chairmanship of Asean this year in disputes over the South China Sea, but the country is reluctant to do so for fear of a damaging its relationship with China.

Arata Mahapatra, the director of the Center for Asian Strategic Studies in India, told VOA Khmer Thursday that playing the role of neutral mediator would help raise Cambodia’s international prestige at a time when it is seeking a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

“Half of Asean’s members are involved in the South China Sea conflict,” he said. “If Cambodia wants to ignore that, OK,” he said, but “it’s not good for Cambodia’s interests because other members will not be happy.”

Cambodia is preparing to host an Asean summit in Phnom Penh later this week, but it has said the South China Sea will not be on the agenda.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

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