Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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Asia Expert Picked for US Ambassador Job
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Robert William Forden has been nominated as Ambassador to Cambodia by the Biden administration in a national announcement outlining key leaders in his administration. Photo from America Institute in Taiwan
BY: Kheav Moro Kort and Sam Sopich June 27, 2022 5:20 PM
PHNOM PENH – Robert William Forden has been nominated as ambassador to Cambodia by the Biden administration in a national announcement outlining key leaders in his administration.

Forden is a senior advisor in the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Bureau at the Department of State in Washington. He was deputy chief of mission and acting charge d'affaires at the US Embassy in China.

This 62-year-old Asian affairs expert, who speaks Mandarin and Vietnamese, is a former deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan, economic counselor of the US Embassy in Israel, and economic officer at the US Embassy in Vietnam.

Forden was also a deputy economic counselor of the US Embassy in Beijing and, in Washington, the deputy director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.

Heng Kimkong, a visiting senior research fellow at the Cambodia Development Center (CD-Center), thinks having Forden as US Ambassador to Cambodia is a great idea, given his strong background and expertise in Asian affairs.

“He has experience in both China and Vietnam in addition to Taiwan,” Kimkong said.

“This experience will give him a strong foundation to understand the complex relations between Cambodia and Vietnam and the trilateral relations between Cambodia, China and Vietnam.”

He believes that the agenda would be the same – trying to improve US-Cambodia relations in the context of China’s growing influence in Cambodia and Southeast Asia.

However, he is concerned that US-Cambodia relations will continue to face challenges, requiring both sides to put issues on the table and engage in frank discussions to settle differences, given the uncertainty and the US’s strong interest in how Cambodia-China relations develop.

As China’s presence in Cambodia continues to grow, the US is increasingly worried about the potential Chinese military base in Cambodia. This is a great challenge for US-Cambodia relations, Kimkong said.

Forden must be approved by the US Congress before becoming the fully-fledged Ambassador to Cambodia. He would replace incumbent W. Patrick Murphy.
https://cambodianess.com/article/asia-e ... ssador-job
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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With a choice like Forden as Ambassador to Cambodia it is easier to see just how vital the US views their relations with Cambodia. Murphy was no slouch but Forden is qualified for any Ambassador job in the region.
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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More on the current presidential nominee for the position of next US Ambassador to Cambodia:

Robert W. Forden
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert W. Forden is an American diplomat who served as the United States' Chargé d'affaires to China from 2020 to 2021. He previously served as the deputy chief of mission to the American Institute in Taiwan and the deputy chief of mission to the Embassy of the United States in Beijing. He is the current nominee to be the next United States Ambassador to Cambodia.

Forden was born in Southern California in August 1959. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a postgraduate degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in international trade and Asian diplomatic history.

Career
Forden's experience in China stems from his time teaching English at universities in Shenyang and Beijing from 1981 to 1983. He has held a variety of diplomatic posts throughout his career, beginning with positions as an economic officer at the Embassy of the United States in Tel Aviv and Embassy of the United States in Hanoi.While in Hanoi, he worked to complete and implement a trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam.
Forden served two stints at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing prior to his service as chargé d'affaires, from 1995 to 1998 and then again from 2007 to 2011.

In 2002, Forden took a position as the head of mission at the American Institute in Taiwan Kaohsiung Branch Office, where he served until 2005.He subsequently served as the deputy director of the State Department's China and Mongolia Affairs Office from 2005 to 2007. In 2015, Forden was named the 15th deputy director of the American Institute in Taiwan, a position he held until 2018.

Forden returned to Beijing in 2018 to serve as the United States' deputy chief of mission to China. In 2020, Terry Branstad, the United States ambassador to China, was asked to step down by President Donald Trump, so that Branstad could assist with Trump's presidential campaign.To replace him, Forden was appointed to the post of Chargé d'affaires, where he currently serves.

Ambassador to Cambodia
On June 22, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Forden to be the next ambassador to Cambodia.His nomination is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Forden is married to Hui-chuan Chi (紀惠娟), a native of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. They have three children. He speaks Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese.
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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Impressive CV this.The Americans produce some powerful thinkers. What the hell goes wrong with all the religious gun toting nutters? Poor education system?
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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willyhilly wrote: Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:42 pm Impressive CV this.The Americans produce some powerful thinkers. What the hell goes wrong with all the religious gun toting nutters? Poor education system?
No, many of these "religious gun toting nutters" as you call them are highly-educated and very intelligent individuals. A lot are inbred morons too but lets not go off topic. 8-)
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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willyhilly wrote: Thu Dec 22, 2022 9:42 pm Impressive CV this.The Americans produce some powerful thinkers. What the hell goes wrong with all the religious gun toting nutters? Poor education system?
The war business that the United States is involved with has many costs. I see your point @willyhilly and note that you are Aussie and that means that you've been with the US for the entire ride. Your personal views mean little and your Aussie psyche is forever American too now. Welcome to the family. But, yes, we are off topic. Great Ambassador pick for Cambodia. Party on Garth.
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Re: Asia Expert, Robert Forden, New US Ambassador to Cambodia

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Relations between Cambodia and the US are reset for 2023.

Positive outlook for Cambodia-US ties after PM visits embassy
Lay Samean | Publication date 24 December 2022 | 16:01 ICT
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Prime Minister HE shakes hands with US ambassador Patrick Murphy at US embassy in Phnom Penh on December 23. US EMBASSY IN PHNOM PENH

Prime Minister HE on December 23 met with US ambassador Patrick Murphy at his embassy, in a visit hailed by diplomacy experts as a “rare gesture” that could elevate relations between Cambodia and the global power.

“With a view to the new year, Ambassador Murphy and the Prime Minister discussed ways to improve the bilateral relationship. We look forward to a productive 2023 and continued efforts to strengthen friendship between the American and Cambodian people,” the US embassy in Phnom Penh said in a social media post.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national- ... ts-embassy
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