Cambodia dismisses US sanctions as 'politically motivated'

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PHNOM PENH – Cambodia connected Thursday dismissed arsenic “politically motivated” sanctions imposed by the United States connected 2 elder defence officials implicit allegations of graft, accompanied by a broader informing of systemic corruption successful the Southeast Asian nation.

Government spokesperson Phay Siphan said Cambodia had not been told successful beforehand astir the sanctions, which are related to operation financing astatine the Ream Naval Base — a task that has raised U.S. concerns implicit China's involvement. He said Cambodia did not mean to respond to Washington.

“The sanctions imposed by the U.S. authorities were made unilaterally and their determination was not based connected the regularisation of instrumentality — it is an injustice for Cambodia,” helium told The Associated Press.

“These sanctions were politically motivated, and it is not the presumption of Cambodia to speech with the U.S. connected this matter," helium said.

The U.S. Embassy successful Phnom Penh would not remark connected whether Cambodia had been successful interaction regarding the sanctions but said that the determination would not person travel arsenic a surprise.

“U.S. officials person regularly raised concerns with Cambodia's officials astir systemic corruption, transnational organized transgression and quality rights abuses,” embassy spokesperson Chad Roedemeier said.

“Regrettably determination person been nary meaningful changes,” helium added.

The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury Department connected Wednesday, people Chau Phirun, the manager wide of the Defense Ministry’s worldly and method services department, and Tea Vinh, the commandant of the Royal Cambodian Navy and member of Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh.

The Treasury Department alleged that successful 2020 and 2021, Chau conspired with Tea and different Cambodian officials to inflate costs of the Ream Naval Base operation task and past planned to usage the funds for their ain benefit.

“Chau and Tea were progressive successful corrupt acts that undermined the rule of instrumentality and the Cambodian public’s religion successful their authorities institutions and nationalist processes, including by utilizing their governmental influence and authoritative power for personal benefit,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said successful a statement.

Neither the Cambodian Defense Ministry nor the Royal Cambodian Navy could instantly beryllium reached for comment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin defended what helium called “equal and mutually beneficial practice betwixt China and Cambodia” connected the task and accused the U.S. of interfering successful Cambodia’s affairs by levying sanctions.

“China has ever opposed unilateral sanctions and the alleged long-arm jurisdiction of the U.S., arsenic good arsenic its gross interference successful different countries’ interior affairs,” helium said astatine a regular briefing successful Beijing.

The sanctions render Chau, Tea and their contiguous household members ineligible for introduction into the U.S., and frost immoderate assets successful the U.S. that they hold. The Treasury Department did not item whether either idiosyncratic oregon their contiguous families had fiscal interests successful the U.S.

In summation to the sanctions, the Treasury Department, State Department and Commerce Department issued a concern advisory cautioning U.S. firms "to beryllium mindful of interactions with entities progressive successful corrupt concern practices, transgression activities and quality rights abuses.”

It identified 2 superior areas of risk: amerciable fiscal activities successful the financial, existent estate, casino and infrastructure sectors, and entities progressive successful the trafficking of humans, wildlife and narcotics and “related risks successful immoderate areas of the manufacturing and timber sectors.”

American relations with the authorities of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has been successful bureau for 36 years, person agelong been frosty implicit concerns astir the country's mediocre grounds connected quality and governmental rights.

In caller months, the U.S. has expressed further worries astir ties betwixt Cambodia and China, and has urged the leaders of Cambodia, which often supports Beijing's positions, to support an autarkic and balanced overseas policy.

New tensions person focused partially connected China’s operation of facilities astatine the Ream Naval Base, and the anticipation its subject could question aboriginal basing rights there. Hun Sen has powerfully denied reports that Cambodia would let China to acceptable up a subject outpost there, saying specified an statement would beryllium forbidden by Cambodia's constitution.

The basal faces the Gulf of Thailand, which lies adjacent to the South China Sea, and holding basing rights successful Cambodia would widen Beijing’s strategical subject illustration considerably.

In a gathering with Hun Sen successful June, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman expressed interest astir China’s operation of caller facilities astatine Ream.

She besides sought clarification astir the demolition of 2 U.S.-funded buildings astatine Ream without notification oregon explanation, and “observed that a (Chinese) subject basal successful Cambodia would undermine its sovereignty, endanger determination information and negatively interaction U.S.-Cambodia relations,” according to the State Department.

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Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writer Sam McNeil successful Beijing contributed to this report.

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