Kerry Focuses on Trade, Bilateral Relations During Cambodia Visit

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is welcomed by Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 26, 2016.

VOA | 26 January 2016

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA—U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised Cambodia’s economic progress Tuesday as he sat down for talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

“Cambodia has experienced remarkable growth,” Kerry told Hun Sen. “You have seen incredible changes, not just here in Phnom Penh, which moved from a 350,000-person, war-torn city to a much more modern city of 2.2 million people [aka, demographic Vietnamization].”

The prime minister told Kerry that he considers next month's U.S.-hosted special Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit a “step forward for the strategic partnership” between the U.S. and ASEAN countries.

Kerry is on the second leg of a swing through Asia, which also included a stop in Laos, and will conclude in China.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, shakes hands with Cambodian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong before a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 26, 2016.

Earlier Tuesday, he met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong. Heading into the meeting, Kerry said the U.S. and Cambodia had made progress in their strategic partnership in recent years.

He is also meeting with a Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha.

Human rights reforms

There is ongoing concern about Cambodia’s efforts to ensure democratic and human rights reforms.

With opposition leader Sam Rainsy in self-imposed exile to avoid what is widely considered to be politically motivated charges, and 17 opposition members and activists in prison, rights groups say any improved diplomatic ties must be accompanied with Cambodian guarantees for reform.

From Cambodia, Kerry travels to China where he will press Beijing to use its leverage to exert pressure on North Korea for what it said was a successful nuclear test. He is also expected to raise U.S. concerns about the ongoing maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

Earlier Tuesday, Kerry visited the National Museum of Cambodia, home to one of the world’s most extensive collections of Khmer cultural material.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry addresses Cambodian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong at the outset of a bilateral meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 26, 2016.