US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to visit Cambodia, strengthening ties with China's ally

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is going to visit Cambodia, which is a close ally of China in Southeast Asia. He will also meet with his Chinese counterpart after talking at a security conference in Singapore. The U.S. Defense Department announced that Austin will travel to Singapore, Cambodia, and France next week. He will visit Cambodia on June 4 after attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. One of the important meetings he plans to have is with the Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun. The relationship between the U.S. and Cambodia has not been very friendly for a long time because Cambodia has strong ties with China. The U.S. has criticized Cambodia for its poor human rights record and crackdowns on political dissidents. Cambodia is China's closest ally in Southeast Asia, and the U.S. is worried about a naval base in southern Cambodia being upgraded with Chinese help. Cambodian officials say that China won't have special basing privileges and that Cambodia remains neutral in defense. Austin will meet with senior officials in Cambodia, marking his first visit since November 2022. This visit is seen as an important step to improve Cambodia-U.S. relations. It will also be Austin's first visit since Hun Manet became prime minister last year, following his father Hun Sen. There is speculation about a possible change in U.S.-Cambodian relations under Hun Manet, although he has continued his father's policies so far. After Cambodia, Austin will go to France to attend events marking the 60th anniversary of the World War II D-Day landing. On Friday, Austin had a medical procedure in Washington but is back to work after temporarily handing over his duties. He is dealing with bladder issues that started in December after treatment for prostate cancer.