{ "id": "R44037", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R44037", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations", "retrieved": "2020-09-07T12:22:27.905078", "id": "R44037_15_2020-07-07", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2020-07-07_R44037_3a14b710561932cabd904cad5ceecac2c9e533ee.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44037/15", "sha1": "3a14b710561932cabd904cad5ceecac2c9e533ee" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2020-07-07_R44037_3a14b710561932cabd904cad5ceecac2c9e533ee.html" } ], "date": "2020-07-07", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R44037", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 590690, "date": "2019-01-28", "retrieved": "2019-12-20T20:07:14.274665", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "U.S. relations with the Kingdom of Cambodia have become increasingly strained in recent years in light of Prime Minister Hun Sen\u2019s suppression of the political opposition and his growing embrace of the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC). During the previous decade, U.S. engagement with the Kingdom slowly strengthened as Western countries continued to pressure Hun Sen to abide by democratic norms and institutions and as the U.S. government attempted to prevent Cambodia from falling too heavily under China\u2019s influence. Following strong performances by the opposition in the 2013 and 2017 elections, the Cambodian government banned the largest opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in 2017. As a result, the ruling Cambodian People\u2019s Party (CPP) ran virtually unopposed in the 2018 National Assembly election. The Trump Administration and Congress have imposed sanctions in order to pressure Hun Sen into restoring democratic rights and dropping criminal charges against opposition leaders.\nWhile the U.S. government has criticized Hun Sen\u2019s backtracking on democracy, it also has sought to remain engaged with Cambodia. During the past decade, U.S. interests and foreign assistance efforts in Cambodia have included strengthening democratic institutions and norms, promoting the rule of law, increasing bilateral trade and investment, supporting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving public health. The U.S. government has supported demining and related activities in Cambodia, which is among the countries most heavily affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO). Military engagement has included U.S. naval port visits, U.S. military assistance and training, and joint exercises. \nThe United States and other countries have provided funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established through a 2003 agreement between the government of Cambodia and the United Nations. Since the court commenced proceedings in 2006, it has convicted and sentenced three former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the period of Khmer Rouge rule (1975-1978). Following the conclusion of two trials in November 2018, the Cambodian government announced that the ECCC\u2019s work was concluded, despite calls by some Cambodians and international human rights groups to prosecute additional Khmer Rouge officials.\nIn recent years, PRC assistance to Cambodia, by some measures, has begun to match total annual foreign aid flows from traditional major providers of official development assistance to Cambodia. China\u2019s economic support has given Hun Sen greater political room to maneuver, according to some analysts. In return, Cambodia has appeared increasingly willing to accommodate or support Beijing\u2019s positions on various regional issues, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Japan is the largest provider of Official Development Assistance and second-largest source of foreign direct investment in Cambodia. \nOne of the poorest countries in Asia, Cambodia has performed well on some socioeconomic indicators since the United Nations brokered a peace settlement in 1991 and restored a constitutional monarchy in 1993. The Kingdom\u2019s economy has achieved an average annual growth rate of 7.7% since 1995, driven by growth in the agricultural, construction, garment, real estate, and tourism sectors. China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries are the main sources of foreign investment. The United States is the single largest overseas market for Cambodian merchandise exports, which consist mostly of garments and footwear.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44037", "sha1": "3aa4b5751b9337ad600a41425dcb66efd3efcfad", "filename": "files/20190128_R44037_3aa4b5751b9337ad600a41425dcb66efd3efcfad.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44037_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190128_R44037_images_991238011f2b22e2047e5106bc86020fc40e9dfc.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44037", "sha1": "8fa476bbd9c0dad43883d685c2de9170e4719230", "filename": "files/20190128_R44037_8fa476bbd9c0dad43883d685c2de9170e4719230.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 588825, "date": "2018-12-14", "retrieved": "2018-12-19T14:00:10.689049", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "U.S. relations with the Kingdom of Cambodia have become increasingly strained in recent years in light of Prime Minister Hun Sen\u2019s suppression of the political opposition and his growing embrace of the People\u2019s Republic of China (PRC). During the previous decade, U.S. engagement with the Kingdom slowly strengthened as western countries continued to pressure Hun Sen to abide by democratic norms and institutions and as the U.S. government attempted to prevent Cambodia from falling too heavily under China\u2019s influence. Following strong performances by the opposition in the 2013 and 2017 elections, the Cambodian government banned the largest opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in 2017. As a result, the ruling Cambodian People\u2019s Party (CPP) ran virtually unopposed in the 2018 National Assembly election. The Trump Administration and Congress have imposed sanctions in order to pressure Hun Sen into restoring democratic rights and dropping criminal charges against opposition leaders.\nWhile the U.S. government has criticized Hun Sen\u2019s backtracking on democracy, it also has sought to remain engaged with Cambodia. During the past decade, U.S. interests and foreign assistance efforts in Cambodia have included strengthening democratic institutions and norms, promoting the rule of law, increasing bilateral trade and investment, supporting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving public health. The U.S. government has supported demining and related activities in Cambodia, which is among the countries most heavily affected by unexploded ordnance (UXO). Military engagement has included U.S. naval port visits, U.S. military assistance and training, and joint exercises. \nThe United States and other countries have provided funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established through a 2003 agreement between the government of Cambodia and the United Nations. Since the court commenced proceedings in 2006, it has convicted and sentenced three former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the period of Khmer Rouge rule (1975-1978). Following the conclusion of two trials in November 2018, the Cambodian government announced that the ECCC\u2019s work was concluded, despite calls by some Cambodians and international human rights groups to prosecute additional Khmer Rouge officials.\nIn recent years, PRC assistance to Cambodia, by some measures, has begun to match total annual foreign aid flows from traditional major providers of official development assistance to Cambodia. China\u2019s economic support has given Hun Sen greater political room to maneuver, according to some analysts. In return, Cambodia has appeared increasingly willing to accommodate or support Beijing\u2019s positions on various regional issues, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Japan is the largest provider of Official Development Assistance and second largest source of foreign direct investment in Cambodia. \nOne of the poorest countries in Asia, Cambodia has performed well on some socioeconomic indicators since the United Nations brokered a peace settlement in 1991 and restored a constitutional monarchy in 1993. The Kingdom\u2019s economy has achieved an average annual growth rate of 7.7% since 1995, driven by growth in the agricultural, construction, garment, real estate, and tourism sectors. China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries are the main sources of foreign investment. The United States is the single largest overseas market for Cambodian merchandise exports, which consist mostly of garments and footwear.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44037", "sha1": "a6e204277a7d6e4fa994055214d90b5803d70ffd", "filename": "files/20181214_R44037_a6e204277a7d6e4fa994055214d90b5803d70ffd.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44037_files&id=/0.png": "files/20181214_R44037_images_991238011f2b22e2047e5106bc86020fc40e9dfc.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44037", "sha1": "6bad1d4bc72f4b1167d887abded26339ce7173c7", "filename": "files/20181214_R44037_6bad1d4bc72f4b1167d887abded26339ce7173c7.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584377, "date": "2018-04-24", "retrieved": "2018-08-31T13:57:38.002459", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Following a gradual improvement of bilateral ties since the mid-2000s, U.S. relations with the Kingdom of Cambodia have become strained in recent years in light of Prime Minister Hun Sen\u2019s suppression of political opponents and growing embrace of China. The Trump Administration and Congress have imposed and considered further sanctions in order to pressure Hun Sen into restoring democracy and conducting free and fair national elections in 2018. \nWhile the U.S. government has criticized Hun Sen\u2019s backtracking on democracy, it also has sought to remain engaged with Cambodia. During the past decade, U.S. interests and foreign assistance efforts in Cambodia have included strengthening democratic institutions and norms, promoting the rule of law, increasing bilateral trade and investment, supporting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving public health. The U.S. government has supported demining and related activities in Cambodia, among the countries most heavily affected by unexploded ordnance. Military engagement has included U.S. naval port visits, U.S. military assistance and training, and joint exercises. \nThe United States and other countries have provided funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established through a 2003 agreement between the government of Cambodia and the United Nations. Since the court commenced proceedings in 2006, it has convicted and sentenced three former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the period of Khmer Rouge rule (1975-1978). Cambodian and international human rights groups have advocated prosecuting midranking Khmer Rouge officials, while Hun Sen has opposed further indictments.\nThe Trump Administration has responded to Hun Sen\u2019s banning of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) and other human rights abuses by declaring a visa ban on \u201cthose individuals involved in undermining democracy in Cambodia\u201d and canceling assistance for the 2018 national elections. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-141) imposes democracy-related and other conditions or certification requirements upon U.S. assistance to the government of Cambodia. S.Res. 279, passed by the Senate in November 2017, urges the Department of the Treasury to consider placing senior Cambodian government officials involved in the suppression of democracy and human rights abuses on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list; calls on the government of Cambodia to release opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been detained on charges of treason; and supports free and fair elections in 2018 monitored by international observers, among other provisions. A similar resolution, H.Res. 661, is pending in the House. \nIn recent years, China has by some measures begun to match total annual foreign aid flows from traditional major providers of official development assistance to Cambodia. China\u2019s economic support has given Hun Sen greater political room to maneuver, according to some analysts. In return, Cambodia has supported Beijing\u2019s positions on various regional issues, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea. \nOne of the poorest countries in Asia, Cambodia has performed well on some socioeconomic indicators since the United Nations brokered a peace settlement in 1991 and restored a constitutional monarchy in 1993. The Kingdom\u2019s economy has achieved an average annual growth rate of 7.5% since 1994. China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries are the main sources of foreign investment. The United States is the single largest overseas market for Cambodian merchandise exports, which consist mostly of garments and footwear.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44037", "sha1": "57bb7e7c50c3b59b9a620dfd57172c65f754eac1", "filename": "files/20180424_R44037_57bb7e7c50c3b59b9a620dfd57172c65f754eac1.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44037_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180424_R44037_images_bfb412752aa38b8b937779bc9cb7f587bed203ab.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44037", "sha1": "49cefd1cfded0d65c06300dee0626f8f76a519ab", "filename": "files/20180424_R44037_49cefd1cfded0d65c06300dee0626f8f76a519ab.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 577775, "date": "2018-01-11", "retrieved": "2018-01-26T14:27:31.143523", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Following a gradual improvement of bilateral ties since the mid-2000s, U.S. relations with the Kingdom of Cambodia have become strained in recent years in light of Prime Minister Hun Sen\u2019s suppression of political opponents and growing embrace of China. The Trump Administration and Congress have imposed and considered further sanctions in order to pressure Hun Sen into restoring democracy and conducting free and fair national elections in 2018. \nWhile the U.S. government has criticized Hun Sen\u2019s backtracking on democracy, it also has sought to remain engaged with Cambodia. During the past decade, U.S. interests and foreign assistance efforts in Cambodia have included strengthening democratic institutions and norms, promoting the rule of law, increasing bilateral trade and investment, supporting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving public health. The U.S. government has supported demining and related activities in Cambodia, among the countries most heavily affected by unexploded ordnance. Military engagement has included U.S. naval port visits, U.S. military assistance and training, and joint exercises. \nThe United States and other countries have provided funding for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), also known as the Khmer Rouge Tribunal, established through a 2003 agreement between the government of Cambodia and the United Nations. Since the court commenced proceedings in 2006, it has convicted and sentenced three former Khmer Rouge leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the period of Khmer Rouge rule (1975-1978). Cambodian and international human rights groups have advocated prosecuting midranking Khmer Rouge officials, while Hun Sen has opposed further indictments.\nThe Trump Administration has responded to Hun Sen\u2019s banning of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) and other human rights abuses by declaring a visa ban on \u201cthose individuals involved in undermining democracy in Cambodia\u201d and canceling assistance for the 2018 national elections. S.Res. 279, passed by the Senate in November 2017, urges the Department of the Treasury to consider placing senior Cambodian government officials involved in the suppression of democracy and human rights abuses on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, calls on the government of Cambodia to release opposition leader Kem Sokha, who has been detained on charges of treason, and supports free and fair elections in 2018 monitored by international observers, among other provisions. A similar resolution, H.Res. 661, is pending in the House. Congressional foreign operations appropriations measures for FY2018 (H.R. 3354 and S. 1780) would impose democracy-related conditions on some U.S. assistance to Cambodia in order to apply pressure on Hun Sen.\nIn recent years, China has by some measures begun to match total annual foreign aid flows from traditional major providers of official development assistance to Cambodia. China\u2019s economic support has given Hun Sen greater political room to maneuver, according to some analysts. In return, Cambodia has supported Beijing\u2019s positions on various regional issues, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea. \nOne of the poorest countries in Asia, Cambodia has performed well on some socioeconomic indicators since the United Nations brokered a peace settlement in 1991 and restored a constitutional monarchy in 1993. The Kingdom\u2019s economy has achieved an average annual growth rate of 7.5% since 1994. China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asian countries are the main sources of foreign investment. The United States is the single largest overseas market for Cambodian merchandise exports, which consist mostly of garments and footwear.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44037", "sha1": "f0a6e643a80af46c075aacb80166316174bc7f6e", "filename": "files/20180111_R44037_f0a6e643a80af46c075aacb80166316174bc7f6e.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44037_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180111_R44037_images_bfb412752aa38b8b937779bc9cb7f587bed203ab.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44037", "sha1": "1121eb5c161dab0548425210bfc5df810623f70e", "filename": "files/20180111_R44037_1121eb5c161dab0548425210bfc5df810623f70e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4931, "name": "South & Southeast Asia" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 441380, "date": "2015-05-11", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T19:05:18.525638", "title": "Cambodia: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief", "summary": "The United States and the Kingdom of Cambodia have been strengthening bilateral ties for several years. U.S. concerns about governmental abuses of power and human rights violations, however, have constrained the development of relations. Areas of congressional concern have included providing development assistance, promoting democracy and human rights, and supporting victims of Khmer Rouge atrocities. U.S. interests in Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in Asia, include strengthening democratic institutions and norms, encouraging civic participation in politics, promoting the rule of law, increasing bilateral trade and investment, supporting economic growth, reducing poverty, and improving public health. U.S. military engagement includes naval port visits, military assistance, education and training, and joint exercises related to international peacekeeping, humanitarian and disaster response, and counterterrorism. The United States also has provided assistance to Cambodia, one of the countries in the world most heavily afflicted by unexploded ordnance (UXO), for de-mining programs and victims of UXO. The Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI), launched by the Obama Administration in 2009, is a foreign assistance effort through which the United States aims to promote cooperation and capacity building among Lower Mekong River countries (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam) in several sectors. The LMI has become an element of the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.\nDuring the past decade, Cambodia has made fitful progress in some areas of governance and human rights, including the conduct of elections, the development of civil society, and improvements in labor conditions. Economic growth has brought prosperity to some Cambodians, particularly in urban areas, and many rural residents also have experienced improvements in their lives. Political institutions, however, remain weak and economic disparities have widened. Labor relations have shown growing signs of strain in recent years. The State Department reported that although the 2013 parliamentary elections were \u201cmostly peaceful\u201d and the election campaigns were \u201clargely free of intimidation,\u201d the voting process was \u201cfraught with irregularities.\u201d According to some experts, Prime Minister Hun Sen has flouted democratic institutions and norms but also made some political compromises in the face of domestic and international pressure. \nCambodia has entered a period of nominal political power sharing after several years of one party rule by the Cambodian People\u2019s Party (CPP). The national elections of 2013 resulted in a striking reversal of fortunes for the CPP and a boost for the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP). The election results reflected a changing electorate, one that is younger and with rising expectations and more concerned about corruption and inequality. Many analysts remain doubtful about whether Hun Sen will respect checks on his power as part of an agreement reached with the opposition in July 2014.\nDuring the Khmer Rouge\u2019s three-year rule over Cambodia (1975-1978), nearly 2 million out of a population of 8 million Cambodians died from execution, torture, overwork, starvation, and disease. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), a court with international and Cambodian judges and prosecutors, began proceedings in 2006 to try Khmer Rouge leaders responsible for grave violations of national and international law, including crimes against humanity. The court has delivered guilty verdicts to three former high ranking officials. Cambodian and international human rights groups have advocated expanding the scope of prosecutions to include mid-ranking Khmer Rouge officials, while Prime Minister Hun Sen has opposed expanding the number of indictments.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44037", "sha1": "20d5415f32e1eb41a021445071b9bc1df3a36044", "filename": "files/20150511_R44037_20d5415f32e1eb41a021445071b9bc1df3a36044.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44037", "sha1": "8f011b75206789c3d33904fcc9492c76fd1e8477", "filename": "files/20150511_R44037_8f011b75206789c3d33904fcc9492c76fd1e8477.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 473, "name": "Southeast Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific Islands" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Asian Affairs", "Foreign Affairs" ] }