Analyst Criticizes France’s ‘Inaction’ Ahead of PM Visit
Hun Manet will pay the very first official visit as the country’s ruler to France on Jan. 18-19 after being invited by President Emmanuel Macron.
- By Teng Yalirozy
- January 4, 2024 11:55 AM
PHNOM PENH – An analyst sees Prime Minister Hun Manet’s visit as a chance to deepen the relationships between Phnom Penh and Paris, yet criticizes France’s inaction in accelerating its role in Cambodia and the ASEAN.
Hun Manet will pay the very first official visit as the country’s ruler to France on Jan. 18-19 after being invited by President Emmanuel Macron. Macron is keen to further cooperation between the two countries in the economic, military, cultural heritage and Francophonie fields.
“I hope that this trip will enable us to deepen and diversify our cooperation even further, so that together we can manage the global challenges we face, particularly in terms of energy transition,” Macron addressed in the invitation dated Dec. 31, 2o23.
This visit is also expected to oversee the democracy strengthening and independence and sovereignty of all nations.
Seun Sam, a policy analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Hun Manet’s visit to France is crucial for promoting dialogue with the EU and particularly with France, as the former colonizer.
“Our King family has special relations with France and these relations should be continued in the next decades,” he said.
However, he criticized France for its inactivity in Cambodia and considers other embassies like the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, or Australia to be more active. France should increase its involvement in Cambodia and ASEAN countries, he added.
“I strongly criticize France because of its inactivity in almost all things in Cambodia,” he said. “I rarely see officials from the French embassy involved in meetings with Cambodian officials or ministers. I think France should be way more active than this.”
While France and Cambodia share a special history, Francophonie and major diplomatic achievements with the signature of the Paris Peace Agreements in 1991, Seun Sam said he did not see that France had much to say about Cambodian affairs, like other countries such as the U.S. or Australia.
“The relationship between the EU, especially France, and Cambodia has been strained in recent years due to the EU’s criticism of Cambodia’s human rights and democratic situation,” he said, referring to the partial lifting of the “Everything But Arms” (EBA) trade preference in 2020, that granted Cambodian products a tax-free access to the EU market.
Over the past six years, France has expressed concerns on many occasions about the state of Cambodian democracy, particularly following the dissolution of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) in 2017, the arrest of its leader Kem Sokha, or the ban of the Candlelight Party from running in the 2023 general elections.
It also called for the re-establishment of democracy and the respect of fundamental human rights.
Outside the diplomatic field, France is involved in cooperation with Cambodia through the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which is supporting investments in infrastructure and economic projects on electricity, water, sanitation or irrigation systems.
Since 1993, the agency granted €880 million (around $962 million) to support 133 projects. In March 2023, it also committed to finance up to €400 million (about $437 million) in projects in 2023-2024.
In 2022, France and Cambodia's trade volume reached $542 million, with Cambodia experiencing a trade surplus, with exports to France reaching $423 million and imports reaching $199 million.
In Cambodia, France is also involved in scientific research through the Pasteur Institute, and has several grants to allow Cambodian students to pursue higher education in France.
Relationships to Remain Tense
After Hun Manet assumed power in August 2023, many hoped he would bring change in the political field, given his Western education, Seun Sam recalled.
“However, Hun Manet is also bound by the system created by his father [former Prime Minister Hun Sen], which is based on patronage, corruption, and repression of any opposition or dissent,” he added.
Hun Sen remains the CPP president and is running for the Senate President position in February, holding significant influence over the government and military, while Hun Manet remains unaffected by major policy changes, he said.
“Therefore, I foresee that the relationship between the EU, particularly France, and Cambodia under Hun Manet’s leadership will remain tense and uncertain unless Hun Manet can demonstrate a genuine commitment to reform and dialogue with the EU,” Sam said.
