Which country Cambodia should stick with?

Samouth · Post by **Samouth** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 6:16 pm

As one can imagine Cambodia can't be really independent and Cambodia can't be like it is today without the help and investment from other countries. As you also can see we have got a lot of investments from China and Japan and the nearby country Vietnam. As long as i know China is the main investing country in Cambodia and Cambodia seems to have really close relationship with China more than other countries. No doubt, we owed China a lot of money and our prime minister is really proud of it (I remembered during a speech, he said Cambodia is the only country in Southeast Asia that China is willing to lend money anytime without consideration and China also urged us to borrow money from them. China helped build the peace palace (our prime mister's office and as i read an article the other day China planned to spend millions of dollar to build an office for our ministers). China built roads and bridges, but most of these infrastructures were built under the loan both with interest and without interest. Similarly, Japan also helped Cambodia a lot. Every year, the government of Japan gives a lot of aid to our government and not to mention they helped build bridges, roads, schools and hospital without loan until they were built under the money from ADB. I don't know much to talk about USA. What i know is that USA helped built national road number 4 and every year the government of America also give aid to our country too.

So my question is that, personally which country do you think Cambodia should stick with for the sake of the country and nation? Why ? How can we develop our country without having to use too much natural resource?

1. China

2. Japan

3. The United States

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:20 pm

Always beware of people giving free gifts, they are not giving because they are '' nice '' people, they are giving cause there is something in it for themselves. The strings that are attached to all these loans are so many and so complicated that you , I, and the common people will never find out about them. I just pity your children and grandchildren somouth, cause they are the ones that will have to pay, if they still own the country.

Post by **Jamie_Lambo** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 7:51 pm

Barang_doa_slae · Post by **Barang_doa_slae** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 8:47 pm

Samouth you need to read more history books.
When considering itself as weak, Cambodia mastered the art of playing all available cards. therefore IMO the only answer to your question is sticking with the three countries altogether. That allows to grow tighter relation with two of them when the third one is trying to reap too many dividends out of their investment.

bkktrapper · Post by **bkktrapper** » Thu Dec 10, 2015 10:01 pm

4. North korea.

frank lee bent · Post by **frank lee bent** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 6:59 am

vietnam would seem to be the obvious choice to me.
they have prevailed against both usa and china.

chkwoot · Post by **chkwoot** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 8:26 am

frank lee bent wrote:vietnam would seem to be the obvious choice to me.
they have prevailed against both usa and china.

In the last 20 years, Vietnam's GDP and economy has skyrocketed, without handouts from other countries. I think Cambodian's should learn to work hard and improve their own country without expecting aid from others.

John Bingham · Post by **John Bingham** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:28 am

China helped build the peace palace (our prime mister's office and as i read an article the other day China planned to spend millions of dollar to build an office for our ministers).

China funded the construction of the Council of Minister's building. The Prime Minister's office was built with government funds.

clippy · Post by **clippy** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:43 am

learn something from the history of Thailand

the main reason they were never colonised is that they had trade and relationship with Great Britain and France equally. and with any foriegn country too, i think Spain and Holland were welcomed to do business there

so when Britain wanted to colonise Thailand, it would have caused a war with France. and vice versa. So UK and France decided to keep Thailand as a neutral zone between their empires, and just continue with their trading, without colonising them

Also

When you say "borrow money" you really talking about "creating money" watch this video for an education,

TheGrinchSR · Post by **TheGrinchSR** » Fri Dec 11, 2015 9:56 am

Only a nation of idiots would mortgage their souls to the Chinese. China is a polluted, toxic, wasteland - sooner or later, China will have to go to war to gain new lands... or they will need to let hundreds of millions die because they won't even be able to provide clean water for them. Being China's "friend" will only make it easier for them to invade, enslave (and almost certainly commit genocide on) the local population.

Japan is a good bet. It's spending large amounts of wedge to keep China's influence to a minimum and wants not a lot in return. The Japanese don't do geo-politics any more and would be happy just to get a friendly nod in the occasional ASEAN or Asian vote...

USA, sadly has a reputation for failing its allies abroad. It also has a reputation of being incredibly incompetent when dealing with its enemies abroad too. But... in this instance USA and Japan have aligned interests in stopping Chinese influence; so you could probably get cash from USA and Japan with far fewer strings attached than Chinese money comes with. Even if it does mean the occasional face-losing scolding for the Cambodian government.