US defense secretary in Cambodia to strengthen military ties with China's closest ally

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Cambodia to talk about doing military exercises together again. This could help improve the relationship between the two countries, which has been tense because Cambodia has been getting closer to China. Austin met with Cambodian officials like Defense Minister Tea Seiha, Prime Minister Hun Manet, and Senate President Hun Sen. They talked about ways to make their defense ties stronger to support peace and security in the region. This includes doing military training together, learning how to remove landmines, and having Cambodian soldiers join U.S. military education programs. Cambodia, which is a close friend of China in Southeast Asia, stopped doing military exercises with the U.S. in 2017. The U.S. has not been very friendly with Cambodia for a while because of its strong connection with China. The U.S. is also concerned about Cambodia's human rights situation, like how it treats people who speak out against the government. Austin came to Cambodia from Singapore, where he talked with Chinese military leaders to improve communication between the two countries' militaries. This is important as tensions rise between the U.S. and China in the Indo-Pacific region. This was Austin's first visit to Cambodia since Hun Manet became prime minister last year, taking over from his father, Hun Sen, who was in charge for 38 years. People thought the change might lead to better relations between the U.S. and Cambodia, but so far, Hun Manet has kept his father's policies. Before becoming prime minister, Hun Manet was in charge of Cambodia's army. Both Austin and Hun Manet went to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with Austin graduating in 1975 and Hun Manet in 1999 as Cambodia's first cadet there. Austin also met with Cambodian military program alumni. After Cambodia, Austin will go to France for events marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in World War II.