{
  "id": 2732977,
  "title": "Why Cambodia is reviving US military drills despite close China ties",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/why-cambodia-is-reviving-us-military-drills-despite-close-china-ties",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-23T06:00:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3364865/why-cambodia-reviving-us-military-drills-despite-close-china-ties"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cambodia is set to resume joint military exercises with the United States next year, despite strong ties to China, according to analysts. Senior officials from both countries discussed reviving the Angkor Sentinel drills and expanding training and military reforms last weekend. The Pentagon's undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, visited Phnom Penh to meet with the Cambodian prime minister and defense minister as part of a four-nation tour aimed at rebuilding military relationships. The decision to restart the drills has been described as a \"significant but pragmatic reset\" of strained defense ties since 2017, though it does not signal a shift away from China. China has been funding upgrades to the Ream naval base, a strategic location on Cambodia's Gulf of Thailand coast, which has raised concerns about China potentially establishing a regional military outpost there. Phnom Penh has historically been one of China's closest Southeast Asian allies, receiving significant Chinese investment and being its primary defense partner. Restarting the Angkor Sentinel drills with the US carries symbolic weight, as it could prevent Cambodia from becoming strategically exclusive to China, which is seen as a more achievable objective than reengaging with the US. The US aims to limit Chinese strategic dominance in Cambodia by engaging rather than isolating the country, as demonstrated by similar scenarios in Thailand in 2014 and Cambodia in 2009.",
  "summary": "Cambodia is preparing to restart joint military exercises with the United States next year, in a move analysts described as a pragmatic reset of defence ties strained since 2017 – though not a pivot away from China. Senior officials from both countries discussed restarting the Angkor Sentinel drills last weekend, alongside expanded training and military reforms, Cambodian media reported.…",
  "key_points": [
    "Cambodia plans to resume Angkor Sentinel drills with US next year.",
    "Senior officials discussed revival and military reforms.",
    "US aims to limit China's strategic dominance in Cambodia."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}