Don’t blame Cambodia for Asean bust-up

COMMENTARY

Don’t blame Cambodia for Asean bust-up

Published: 23 Jul 2012 at 17.27
Newspaper section: Asia focus

There is no bigger news in Asean these days than the collapse of efforts to produce a joint communique after the recent 45th ministerial meeting in Phnom Penh. Much of the blame has been laid at the feet of host Cambodia but that misses the larger point.

The failure to issue a communique was the first in the history of the 10-member organisation that prides itself on harmony and consensus. Some observers have begun to question what Cambodia was doing as the Asean chair this year.

What happened in Phnom Penh, in a nutshell, was that one country’s fear of offending China somehow managed to trump all the others’ desire to send Beijing a stern message about its behaviour in the South China Sea.

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aussie
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Discussion 2 : 24 Jul 2012 at 19.302
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It should come as no surprise, then, that Cambodia has little to lose by ditching the long-term interests of Asean for the short-term benefits it can receive by siding with China. Other politicians with short-term vested interests and patrons in Beijing would probably do the same.

I Wonder WHO ?
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whatajoke
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Discussion 1 : 24 Jul 2012 at 08.111
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The Philippines could well do with much needed aid if it sold it's soul to China and gave up on territory that had lots of oil, and I wonder if Cambodia's position mght have been different if it was their piece of future oil, just off their coast, that some giant imperial power thousands of miles away was trying to claim. Perhaps with a slightly more ethical leadership Cambodia might have avoided the embarrassment of being the first country in ASEANs 45 year history to fail on issuing a communique.
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Don’t blame Cambodia for Asean bust-up | Bangkok Post: opinion