Relationship dossier
Cambodia
People's Republic of China
Relationship assessment
Cambodia and China have a close partnership built on political alignment, economic ties, and defense cooperation.
Cambodia toward People's Republic of China
+75Cambodia has generally supported Chinese diplomatic positions and maintained close political and defense ties. In 2012, during Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship, it did not secure a joint communiqué addressing the South China Sea disputes, a decision that aligned with Beijing’s preferences.
People's Republic of China toward Cambodia
+70China has provided Cambodia with substantial development assistance and investment, including support for infrastructure, and has expanded economic and defense cooperation. A bilateral free trade agreement entered into force in 2022.
Overall relationship
+75The relationship is a durable, asymmetrical partnership combining Chinese economic and development support with Cambodian political alignment and cooperation. A bilateral free trade agreement and sustained infrastructure and defense ties underpin the relationship; uncertainty about the scope of some arrangements tempers assessment of its depth.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cambodia and China maintain a close, sustained partnership encompassing political support, Chinese development assistance and investment, infrastructure projects, and defense cooperation. Cambodia has generally supported key Chinese positions, while China has provided substantial economic and diplomatic backing. The relationship is asymmetric, and the scale and terms of some cooperation remain unclear.
Key developments
Cambodia’s ASEAN chairmanship ended without a joint communiqué addressing the South China Sea disputes, aligning with China’s opposition to multilateral criticism.
The Cambodia–China Free Trade Agreement entered into force.
Major uncertainties
- The full scope and implementation of Chinese investment, aid, and infrastructure arrangements are unclear.
- Details of defense cooperation and the future use of facilities at Ream Naval Base remain uncertain.