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Cambodia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cambodia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Phnom Penh

Head of State

King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hun Manet

A compound near the Thai-Cambodian border Thailand’s military said was used for scam operations, pictured in March. Photo: Reuters

Scams and swindles

Asian Angle | Cambodia’s war on scammers needs a blueprint built to last

Rounding up foot soldiers is easy. The hard part is tracing cash, exposing high-level enablers and protecting coerced victims.

25 Jul 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s overworked defence ministry plans first new bureau since 2007

24 Jul 2026 - 4:00PM

Food and Drinks

The best guest shifts in Hong Kong and Macau amid Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026

24 Jul 2026 - 12:29PM

2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

24 Jul 2026 - 11:37AMvideocam

A soldier stands guard inside a compound that is believed to have been used for scam operations in O’Smach, near the Thai-Cambodian border, on March 6. Photo: Reuters

Belt and Road Initiative

China Unicom connects Hong Kong-Cambodia cable, widening undersea data network

The submarine cable project ties city with a high-speed data and information corridor running through Southeast Asia.

23 Jul 2026 - 6:17PM

US-China relations

China’s cyberscam crackdown pushed syndicates to target Americans: analysts

Beijing curbed attacks on Chinese victims, but criminal networks shifted abroad as scams spread into a global industry.

23 Jul 2026 - 5:56AMvideocam

Indonesia

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

21 Jul 2026 - 6:41PMvideocam

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto (left), who represented the country at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Thursday, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: Xinhua

Scams and swindles

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

21 Jul 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Taiwan

Taiwan reviews PNG LNG imports after forced closure of economic office

The Pacific nation and Cambodia have both handed Beijing diplomatic wins by reiterating support for the one-China policy.

20 Jul 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

The Philippines

‘Something beyond science’: Philippine school for exorcists draws Asia’s priests

A priest from the Michael Centre for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism says he can tell if cases are possessed by ‘a change in behaviour’.

19 Jul 2026 - 11:26AM

A man watching a footage of a woman being exorcised, in Makati, Metro Manila. Photo: AFP

2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urges Thailand and Cambodia to settle border dispute

President Xi Jinping has offered to play a ‘constructive role’ in reaching a solution, saying it would be in both sides’ long-term interests.

18 Jul 2026 - 8:38PMvideocam

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since late December 2025. Photo: AFP

Asean

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

18 Jul 2026 - 12:00PM

Artificial intelligence

Xi Jinping warns against creating ‘new historical injustices’ in AI era

Chinese leader’s presence at World AI Conference signals Beijing’s push to elevate AI from tech priority to pillar of geopolitical strategy.

17 Jul 2026 - 4:16PMvideocam

Fintech

China-UAE retail QR payment link to boost the yuan’s global push

Beijing linking its retail payment networks with Dubai is another step toward yuan internationalisation and reducing US dollar reliance.

17 Jul 2026 - 3:00PM

Bank of China (BOC) will act as the exclusive clearing bank for Jaywan, the UAE’s national debit card. Photo: Handout

Asean

Opinion | Cambodia aspires to shed its dependencies while staying connected

As it seeks connectivity, Phnom Penh must build diplomatic bridges with as much effort as it constructs ports and canals.

15 Jul 2026 - 5:30AM

People arrive at the construction site of the Funan Techo canal along the Prek Takeo channel in Kandal province, Cambodia, on August 5, 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

China airliners

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

13 Jul 2026 - 11:00AM

Thailand

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

12 Jul 2026 - 1:30PM

Animals

He watched a tiger drag his relative away. Now Cambodia is bringing them back

While residents worry for their safety, biologists warn the imported animals will simply starve in forests stripped of prey.

11 Jul 2026 - 1:30PM

A tiger’s head made out of rice by Tom Kim Eng a Cambodian artist also known as Aisha who creates art from rice grains. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia

‘Strong deterrent’: Indonesia expels 92 Chinese suspected scammers

The Chinese nationals were arrested in May in connection with an alleged online gaming and investment fraud syndicate operating from Batam.

6 Jul 2026 - 4:55PM

Middle East

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

5 Jul 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

Can Asean keep the Thailand-Cambodia peace?

With zero enforcement powers, monitors risk being used to simply validate rival propaganda campaigns, analysts say.

5 Jul 2026 - 10:23PMvideocam

The Asean Observer Team visits an area of Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province where a civilian was killed. Photo: AKP/AFP

China travel

China’s economic clout boosts ‘passport power’, index finds

Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely.

3 Jul 2026 - 4:00PM

China’s passport strength is slowly climbing global rankings on a stronger economy, better quality of life and more outbound travel and investment. Photo: Shutterstock

US-China relations

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

1 Jul 2026 - 11:36AM

Hong Kong economy

New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

New business group launched at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

30 Jun 2026 - 7:46PM

Japan

Meet AIko: Japan’s AI police chief taking on a US$2 billion scam epidemic

Japan has a new police chief. Her name is AIko, she lives on YouTube and she’s coming for scammers.

29 Jun 2026 - 12:15PMvideocam

A screengrab of a social media video shows Osaka prefecture’s new virtual AI police chief “AIko”. Photo: YouTube/OsakaPrefecturalPolice

Extreme weather

Asia’s ‘dangerous’ humid heatwaves push human body to its limits

Parts of Southeast Asia are set to experience at least six months of dangerous humid heat days annually, a report says.

26 Jun 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Pedestrians use portable fans while walking on a street in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for June 25-27

Phnom Penh’s Sora pops up at Terrible Baby, Bangkok’s Sundry takes over Friday After Class, and Shakespeare-inspired Madara cocktails land at Alibi.

25 Jun 2026 - 10:56AM

Thailand

Thailand auctions US$18 million superyacht linked to supersized fraud

Nearly US$700 million in assets have been seized in Thailand so far, an example of the amount of dirty money sloshing through the economy.

23 Jun 2026 - 12:18PMvideocam

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Cambodia

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Asian Angle | Cambodia’s war on scammers needs a blueprint built to last

Rounding up foot soldiers is easy. The hard part is tracing cash, exposing high-level enablers and protecting coerced victims.

Japan’s overworked defence ministry plans first new bureau since 2007

The best guest shifts in Hong Kong and Macau amid Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2026

Hun Manet vows to make Cambodia ‘not worth staying’ for scammers

Cambodia has come under significant international pressure over scam compounds, including from both the US and China.

China Unicom connects Hong Kong-Cambodia cable, widening undersea data network

The submarine cable project ties city with a high-speed data and information corridor running through Southeast Asia.

China’s cyberscam crackdown pushed syndicates to target Americans: analysts

Beijing curbed attacks on Chinese victims, but criminal networks shifted abroad as scams spread into a global industry.

Indonesia’s AI ambitions test US-China balancing act

Analysts warn joining the new body could limit Indonesia’s access to US-made AI models and proprietary technology.

Asia-Pacific cyberscam victims lost up to US$114 billion last year: UN

The losses from online scams, mostly investment fraud, are at least triple that from 2023, reflecting a ‘dramatic scaling’, the report says.

Taiwan reviews PNG LNG imports after forced closure of economic office

The Pacific nation and Cambodia have both handed Beijing diplomatic wins by reiterating support for the one-China policy.

‘Something beyond science’: Philippine school for exorcists draws Asia’s priests

A priest from the Michael Centre for Spiritual Liberation and Exorcism says he can tell if cases are possessed by ‘a change in behaviour’.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping urges Thailand and Cambodia to settle border dispute

President Xi Jinping has offered to play a ‘constructive role’ in reaching a solution, saying it would be in both sides’ long-term interests.

Opinion | Southeast Asia must write its own trade rules for China’s ‘flying geese’

As Chinese manufacturers migrate south, Asean has the leverage to dictate terms on local sourcing and skills training.

Xi Jinping warns against creating ‘new historical injustices’ in AI era

Chinese leader’s presence at World AI Conference signals Beijing’s push to elevate AI from tech priority to pillar of geopolitical strategy.

China-UAE retail QR payment link to boost the yuan’s global push

Beijing linking its retail payment networks with Dubai is another step toward yuan internationalisation and reducing US dollar reliance.

Opinion | Cambodia aspires to shed its dependencies while staying connected

As it seeks connectivity, Phnom Penh must build diplomatic bridges with as much effort as it constructs ports and canals.

China’s C919 on Malaysia Airlines’ radar, but Western certification preferred

Opportunities for Comac’s C919 will increase with certification by Western aviation regulators, a Malaysia Aviation Group executive says.

Wombs for hire: the painful price of Asia’s lawless baby trade

Commercial surrogacy is illegal in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. It is also worth an estimated US$15 billion a year.

He watched a tiger drag his relative away. Now Cambodia is bringing them back

While residents worry for their safety, biologists warn the imported animals will simply starve in forests stripped of prey.

‘Strong deterrent’: Indonesia expels 92 Chinese suspected scammers

The Chinese nationals were arrested in May in connection with an alleged online gaming and investment fraud syndicate operating from Batam.

Opinion | How bitter Persian Gulf rivals can make peace the Asean way

Promoting de-escalation and shared prosperity in the Persian Gulf may seem arduous now. It once looked that way in Southeast Asia, too.

Can Asean keep the Thailand-Cambodia peace?

With zero enforcement powers, monitors risk being used to simply validate rival propaganda campaigns, analysts say.

China’s economic clout boosts ‘passport power’, index finds

Chinese travellers are gaining easier access to destinations worldwide, even as they still require visas for more countries than they can enter freely.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker, June 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met more than 20 world leaders this year, reflecting Beijing’s increasing global influence.

New Asean Chamber of Commerce launched in Hong Kong will ‘fulfil long-felt need’

New business group launched at the South China Morning Post’s GBA-Asean Summit 2026.

Meet AIko: Japan’s AI police chief taking on a US$2 billion scam epidemic

Japan has a new police chief. Her name is AIko, she lives on YouTube and she’s coming for scammers.

Asia’s ‘dangerous’ humid heatwaves push human body to its limits

Parts of Southeast Asia are set to experience at least six months of dangerous humid heat days annually, a report says.

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for June 25-27

Phnom Penh’s Sora pops up at Terrible Baby, Bangkok’s Sundry takes over Friday After Class, and Shakespeare-inspired Madara cocktails land at Alibi.

Thailand auctions US$18 million superyacht linked to supersized fraud

Nearly US$700 million in assets have been seized in Thailand so far, an example of the amount of dirty money sloshing through the economy.

Asian Angle | Cambodia’s war on scammers needs a blueprint built to last