The Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS) will organize Public Lecture on “Japan’s strategic position in Cambodia’s foreign policy”, by Guest Speaker, Mr. Lim Chhay, Visiting Fellow at CSEAS, IISPP, and MEXT Scholar at Graduate School of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, on Monday, 25 March 2024, Sen Monorom Hall, Third Floor, Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia (Toul Kork Campus).
The event is supported by Paññāsāstra University of Cambodia’s Faculty of Social Sciences and International Relations.
The relationship between Cambodia and Japan is generally positive, underpinned by Japan’s exceptional role in fostering Cambodia’s peace process in the 1990s. At its core, this current bilateral relationship serves as a crucial strategic pillar for both nations, offering a means to navigate the turbulent waters of Sino-U.S. rivalry. Last year, 2023, marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and Japan. To commemorate this anniversary, Phnom Penh and Tokyo elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP). This positions Japan at the highest echelon within Cambodia’s three-tier hierarchy of foreign relations, a position previously exclusively reserved for China since 2010. Moreover, Japan is arguably viewed as a vital hedge in Cambodia’s foreign policy, especially amid escalating tensions between the United States and China. Japan has steps up a more proactive diplomacy towards Southeast Asia through its newly launched Official Security Assistance. As both superpowers, the US and China, vie for influence in the region, Japan’s role as a strategic partner offers Southeast Asian small states, especially Cambodia a balancing factor, allowing it to maintain diplomatic flexibility and safeguard its national interests.
To secure your seat, please register via this link: https://bit.ly/CCRSPLJapanCambodia
| Program | |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Registration |
| 9:00 – 9:05 AM | Welcoming Remarks by Mr. Him Raksmey, Executive Director, CCRS |
| 9:05 – 9:10 AM | Group Photograph |
| 9:10 – 10:20 AM |
Public Lecture on “Japan’s strategic position in Cambodia’s foreign policy” Q&A Session, Moderated by Mr. Him Rotha, Deputy Director, CCRS |
| 10:20 – 10:30 AM | Closing Remarks by Amb. Pou Sothirak, Distinguished Senior Advisor, CCRS |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM | Refreshment and End of Public Lecture |
About the Role Players:
Mr. Lim Chhay is a Visiting Fellow at Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of Royal University of Phnom Penh. He is also an appointed-Young Leader for the Pacific Forum International, and a Japanese Government’s MEXT scholar at Ritsumeikan University.
Mr. Him Rotha is currently the Deputy Director of the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). Prior to this, he was a researcher at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), and a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Institute of International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). He was also a researcher at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace from 2019 to 2023. His research interests include Cambodia’s domestic and foreign affairs as well as political-security in Southeast Asia and beyond.