via CAAI
By JAY SOLOMON
PHNOM PENH—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pressed Cambodia to remain independent of China on economic and environmental issues, as she continued a pan-Asian tour aimed at expanding Washington's diplomatic influence in the region.
Mrs. Clinton told Cambodian officials Monday that the Obama administration is willing to explore new mechanisms through which to retire nearly $450 million in debt accrued by Phnom Penh's Vietnam War-era government.
Mrs. Clinton also told Prime Minister Hun Sen's government that she will seek to raise more funding for a United Nations-backed tribunal set to try leaders of the Khmer Rouge government that committed genocide in Cambodia during its 1975-1979 reign.
The U.N.-supported court is scheduled to begin prosecuting four of the Khmer Rouge's most senior officials early next year, but financing shortfalls and squabbles over the selection of judges have hobbled the process. To date, Washington has provided $5 million to the tribunal.
"We are committed to help Cambodia hold accountable those senior Khmer Rouge leaders most responsible for atrocities," Mrs. Clinton said at a news conference with her Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong. "And I want to urge the Cambodian government to offer its full support to the Tribunal."
Cambodia marks the third country stop on the Mrs. Clinton's seven-nation Asia-Pacific tour, which is aimed at enhancing the nation's presence in a region increasingly under the influence of China's economy and military.
On Saturday, Mrs. Clinton attended a regional conference in Vietnam that was dominated by China's festering maritime disputes with Japan and a number of Southeast Asian countries. The U.S.'s top diplomat urged the attendees of the East Asia Summit to establish an international legal process through which to mediate these disputes, drawing the ire of Beijing, which views all of the South China Sea as sovereign Chinese territory.
U.S. officials privately worry that Cambodia is one of the Southeast Asian nations most under Beijing's sway. China is among Phnom Penh's largest single aid donors, and Chinese firms dominate Cambodia's infrastructure sector. Prime Minister Hun Sen has often sided with Beijing on key regional security issues.
On Monday, Mrs. Clinton attended a town-hall meeting with Cambodian students in Phnom Penh and was asked her view on the Hun Sen government's relationship with China. She said the U.S. encouraged strong relations between Phnom Penh and Beijing but believed Cambodia should hew to an independent foreign policy.
"It's up to your government and your people to determine your own relationships with other countries," Mrs. Clinton told the gathering of 700 students and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. "But I think it's smart for Cambodia to be friends with many countries. Look for balance. You don't want to become too dependent on any one country."
Mrs. Clinton also said Phnom Penh should hold discussions with Beijing to address concerns that Chinese policies are disrupting Cambodia's economic development and harming its environment. She specifically cited China's damming of the upper Mekong River and its impact on Cambodian agriculture.
Mr. Hor Namhong, the Cambodian foreign minister, declined to comment on China-Cambodia relations during the news conference.
Mrs. Clinton also said Monday that the Obama administration hoped the Cambodian government would allow the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to remain opened. Mr. Hun Sen's government has indicated it might close the office after disagreements with its chief representative in Phnom Penh, Christophe Peschoux.
Mr. Hor Namhong, however, said during the news conference that no decision had been made.
Meanwhile, regional fallout from China's diplomatic rows with Japan and some Southeast Asian countries over territorial and resource issues continued. On Saturday, the Japanese and Vietnamese governments said they would jointly seek to explore and extract rare-earth minerals used in producing flat-screen televisions, computers, and hybrid cars, following concerns about China's role as a reliable supplier.
China produces roughly 95% of the world's supply. But Japanese companies have reported disruptions in purchases of the materials since a dispute between Beijing and Tokyo broke out last month over jointly claimed islands in the East China Sea.
"Vietnam has decided to have Japan as a partner for exploration, mining, development, and separation and production of rare-earth minerals in the country," Vietnam's and Japan's prime ministers said in a joint statement released Saturday after bilateral talks.Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also announced at a closing ceremony of the East Asia Summit on Saturday that his government would reopen the Cam Ranh Bay port facility in southern Vietnam to foreign navies. The U.S. military used the port as a base during the Vietnam War. And the Russian navy used the facility following the unification of Vietnam under communist rule in 1975.
Write to Jay Solomon at jay.solomon@wsj.com
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