{"id":50969,"date":"2022-08-02T08:40:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T15:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=50969"},"modified":"2022-08-02T10:40:40","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T17:40:40","slug":"the-united-states-cambodia-relationship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=50969","title":{"rendered":"The United States-Cambodia Relationship"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>08\/02\/2022 11:13 AM EDT<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Office of the Spokesperson<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">The Secretary will travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from August 2-6 to\u00a0participate in\u00a0the ASEAN-related ministerial meetings. \u00a0He will also\u00a0hold bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Deputy Prime Minister\/Foreign Minister\u00a0Prak\u00a0Sokhonn. \u00a0The Secretary, the Prime Minister, and the Deputy Prime Minister will\u00a0discuss\u00a0important\u00a0areas of\u00a0mutual concern, such as DPRK sanctions\u00a0enforcement, law enforcement and child protection,\u00a0the crisis in Burma,\u00a0global health security, climate change,\u00a0condemnation of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, and Cambodia\u2019s support for\u00a0establishing\u00a0the U.S.-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. \u00a0The Secretary will emphasize improvement in our bilateral relationship is contingent upon\u00a0Cambodian leadership taking meaningful steps to address concerns about the PRC\u2019s military presence at Ream Naval Base,\u00a0democratic backsliding,\u00a0and\u00a0respect for\u00a0human rights\u00a0and labor rights.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><strong>U.S.-Cambodia Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S.-Cambodia\u00a0relations are based on strong historical and cultural linkages.\u00a0\u00a0Enduring\u00a0ties\u00a0<wbr \/>between the American and Cambodian people,\u00a0as well as\u00a0cooperation on\u00a0UN matters\u00a0and\u00a0on\u00a0foreign assistance\u00a0programs,\u00a0provide avenues to engage on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues.\u00a0\u00a0The United States lauds Cambodia\u2019s condemnation of Russia\u2019s\u00a0unprovoked\u00a0invasion of Ukraine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States urges Cambodia to be fully transparent about present and future PRC activities at Ream Naval Base, to support multi-party democracy and independent democratic institutions, and to make progress on protecting and respecting human rights, including freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States also urges Cambodia to take meaningful steps to reopen political and civic space. \u00a0We also urge Cambodia to do more to address systemic corruption and trafficking in persons, which inhibit Cambodia\u2019s development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States is committed to the Cambodian people and their aspirations for a more prosperous, democratic, and independent country, where all voices are heard and respected and the Kingdom\u2019s autonomy is protected.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States\u00a0thanks\u00a0Cambodia\u00a0for its\u00a0leadership of ASEAN during a challenging year\u00a0and\u00a0looks forward to finding ways to improve relations between our two countries. \u00a0We want to see Cambodia succeed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>U.S. Assistance to Cambodia<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>With U.S. support, the Kingdom has experienced decades of robust economic growth and made significant progress\u00a0toward achieving\u00a0its\u00a0Sustainable Development Goals, including\u00a0by\u00a0reducing poverty and\u00a0addressing\u00a0the remnants of past conflicts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Over the last 30 years, the United States has provided $3 billion in\u00a0foreign assistance for\u00a0health,\u00a0including\u00a0health security; education;\u00a0food security;\u00a0economic growth;\u00a0national reconciliation;\u00a0the\u00a0<wbr \/>environment;\u00a0and clearance of unexploded ordnance and landmines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. agencies\u00a0have\u00a0cooperated closely with Cambodia in navigating the global pandemic by providing technical assistance,\u00a0$15.3 million in supplemental emergency funds\u00a0to support\u00a0COVID-19\u00a0response needs, and\u00a0donating\u00a0over three million\u00a0safe and effective\u00a0vaccine doses\u00a0in partnership with COVAX.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States has helped improve labor conditions in the\u00a0Cambodian\u00a0garment sector\u00a0for more than 20 years\u00a0by supporting the\u00a0International Labor Organization\u2019s\u00a0\u201cBetter Factories Cambodia\u201d\u00a0factory monitoring program\u00a0\u2014\u00a0considered a model for similar programs worldwide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. law enforcement agencies have provided training and cooperation on\u00a0child protection, DPRK sanctions enforcement,\u00a0and trafficking in persons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>People-to-People Ties<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Play<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>an Important Role in U.S.-Cambodia Relations<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Many\u00a0Cambodians\u00a0have\u00a0personal\u00a0<wbr \/>ties to the United States; some are dual U.S.-Cambodian citizens, have relatives among the 300,000 Cambodian-Americans in the United States, or have a U.S. education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. efforts in Cambodia aim to engage youth, women, and minority populations to advocate for\u00a0inclusive governance;\u00a0build the voice of civil society;\u00a0promote democratic principles and human rights; and engage with entrepreneurs to improve regional interconnectivity and increase U.S. trade opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Since 2012,\u00a0the\u00a0Ambassador\u2019s Youth Council\u00a0has\u00a0enhanced\u00a0our people-to-people diplomacy\u00a0through direct, regular engagement between the Ambassador and diverse cohorts of\u00a0young\u00a0leaders from around the<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S. assistance programs have built the capacity of future generations, benefitted farmers and rural poor households, supported indigenous communities, and improved the livelihoods of millions of Cambodians.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Over 3,500 Cambodians have participated in U.S.-funded exchange programs. \u00a0The Young Southeast Asian Leadership\u00a0Initiative (YSEALI), International Visitor Leadership Program, and\u00a0Fulbright\u00a0Programs provide an opportunity to engage with\u00a0S.\u00a0students and professionals and provide emerging Cambodian leaders with knowledge of U.S. foreign policy, rule of law, global security, and American culture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>U.S.-funded\u00a0English language\u00a0fellows and Peace Corps volunteers have provided English language skills\u00a0for thousands of young Cambodians.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States and Cambodia have a decades-long record of working successfully together on the protection and preservation of Cambodia\u2019s cultural heritage. \u00a0Through a bilateral cultural property MOU in effect since 2003, the\u00a0United States has facilitated the return of\u00a0scores\u00a0of priceless Khmer artifacts\u00a0looted\u00a0from Cambodia. \u00a0Through the Department\u2019s U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, the United States has invested $4.5 million in the preservation of Cambodia\u2019s cultural sites and collections, including at Angkor Archaeological Park and other iconic monuments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>U.S.-Cambodia Economic<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>and Health<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>Cooperation<\/strong><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The United States is Cambodia\u2019s largest export market by far, accounting for over 40 percent of Cambodia\u2019s total exports. \u00a0The country\u00a0has\u00a0benefitted greatly from the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Cambodia exported $8.7 billion of goods in 2021 to the United States, an increase of 33 percent from 2020.The garment, footwear, and travel goods sectors make up the majority of Cambodia\u2019s exports and together employ over 1 million Cambodians, the majority of whom are women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Since 1992,\u00a0as part of\u00a0the United States\u2019\u00a0foreign assistance activities,\u00a0the United States has invested more than $377 million in\u00a0health assistance\u00a0in Cambodia to address infant and maternal mortality, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV\/AIDS, and nutrition and to strengthen Cambodia\u2019s ability to finance and manage logistics and information for its health systems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>The U.S. government\u00a0invests\u00a0<wbr \/>substantially\u00a0in Cambodia\u2019s\u00a0resilience against future pandemics\u00a0by\u00a0supporting improvements to global health security capacities under the Global Health Security Agenda.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Additional support for the COVID-19 response has been delivered through CDC, NIH, and Naval Advanced Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) personnel based at Embassy Phnom Penh.\u00a0 CDC has invested in building workforce capacity, establishing surveillance, and providing technical assistance for pandemic preparedness and response for over 20 years, including the response to COVID-19 and the global monkeypox outbreak.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>08\/02\/2022 11:13 AM EDT Office of&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50969"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50970,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50969\/revisions\/50970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}