“We will position Cambodia as a hub for international cooperation on humanitarian mine action and aim to achieve zero mine victims in the world,” Kamikawa told reporters on Saturday, underscoring Japan’s humanitarian objectives. In meetings with Cambodian ministers, she pledged financial support to develop the country’s marine transport and other critical infrastructure.
The Japanese initiative comes as Cambodia navigates a delicate political shift, with long-time Prime Minister Hun Sen having recently ceded power to his son, Hun Manet. Analysts view Japan’s demining offer as an opportunity to deepen ties with the new government and counter China’s regional influence. Japan also pledged to help establish direct shipping routes connecting Cambodia to Europe and North America, further bolstering economic ties.Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet shakes hands with Japan’s Kamikawa in Phnom Penh on Saturday. Photo: AP
“Japan knows full well that Cambodia is within China’s sphere of influence and that is likely to limit how much can be done,” said Ryo Hinata-Yamaguchi, an international relations professor at the University of Tokyo. “But Japan has had a long and good relationship with Cambodia.”
“It will be difficult to peel Cambodia away from China completely but Japan intends to show Phnom Penh what it can offer and how that can benefit the nation,” he told This Week in Asia. “And some of these things, such as providing advanced demining equipment, are things that China cannot offer so Japan does have an edge.”
Even as Western nations withdrew election monitors from Cambodia last year over reports of political intimidation, Japan maintained its presence. “Japan’s logic is that if it were to pull out, that would allow China to step in and fill the vacuum,” said Ben Ascione, an assistant professor of international relations at Tokyo’s Waseda University.
“Japan is aiming to build on its long history of cooperation with Cambodia, which was famously the first place that Japanese troops were dispatched [overseas] since the end of World War II when members of the Self-Defence Forces served as election monitors in the 1990s.”
A sign warns of landmines in the Donetsk region amid the Ukraine war. Japan has pledged to send demining equipment to Ukraine. Photo: Reuters
While Phnom Penh will maintain its historically close ties with Beijing, Hun Manet is also seeking to diversify his country’s strategic partners, Ascione said.
“The new prime minister is not looking to replace China as a partner but to diversify and bolster its cooperation with France, Japan and other nations.”
Japan’s demining initiative provides a prime platform for Tokyo to signal its commitment to forge deeper ties with the Cambodian government. “It’s a good fit because Japan has the technology and Cambodia has the problem,” Ascione said.
He pointed to the Japanese Navy’s successful demining efforts in the Middle East after the first Gulf War, which earned the country plaudits for its contribution to regional peace.
“Japan is a world leader in demining technology and mines are still a huge problem in Cambodia, just as they will be in Ukraine for many years after the war is over, so this sort of cooperation is win-win for both sides.”
Source link : https://amp.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3269722/demining-diplomacy-counter-chinas-cambodia-sway-japan-touts-landmine-clearance
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Publish date : 2024-07-09 03:00:13
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