Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has said he will not sacrifice the nation’s sovereignty for foreign aid or trade benefits, a day before the EU is expected to announce whether it will suspend Cambodia’s duty-free trade access over human rights concerns.
“I will not trade the kingdom’s independence and sovereignty for any aid or preferential trade scheme,’’ Hun Sen said in a speech on Tuesday.
The prime minister, who has led Cambodia for 35 years, was repeating similar statements he has made in apparent reference to EU calls for Cambodia to comply with trade rules under the EU’s Everything But Arms (EBA) duty-free trade scheme.
Under EBA, the EU offers some developing nations, including Cambodia, duty-free and quota-free access on all imports to the European market except weapons and ammunition.
The scheme requires beneficiaries to uphold international rights conventions to maintain the benefits.
In February 2019, the EU began a formal review of Cambodia’s rights compliance, citing “serious and systematic violations” of human and labour rights.
The move followed a government crackdown on the main opposition party, civil society and independent media in 2017, which saw the party outlawed and its president arrested on widely criticised treason charges.
The trial against opposition leader Kem Sokha began in January.
The EU has called for his full release.
According to the European Commission, Cambodia exported goods, mostly clothing and textiles, worth 5.3 billion Euros (5.8 billion dollars) to the EU in 2018, almost exclusively under the EBA scheme.
