Observers See Balance Shift With Vietnam, China
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| Photo: Courtesy of Bill Hayton |
Washington Monday, 01 November 2010
“We have seen that the influence of China over Cambodia is enormous, and Vietnam is turning to the US.”
Cambodia's improving relationship with China has become cause for concern in Vietnam, which has long held warm ties of its own with its neighbor, according to the author of a new book.
Bill Hayton, author of “Vietnam: Rising Dragon,” told VOA Khmer in Washington the Vietnamese now fear Cambodia will become “a satellite of China.”
“So they are very, very keen to see [that] Cambodia remains a friendly country,” he said. “And obviously they are in the position to have an enormous amount of influence in Cambodia.”
Political and economic ties have so far kept Vietnam and Cambodia close, “and they want to keep that position,” said Hayton, who is also a producer for BBC World News.
