Ad
Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto. His trip to Cambodia showed Pnohm Penn they had an ally within the EU - but turned into a PR disaster when he tested positive for Covid-19 (Photo: Council of the European Union)

Why China and Cambodia are watching Hungary's EU battle

In early November, Hungary's foreign minister Peter Szijjarto paid a visit to Cambodia to reopen the country's embassy in Phnom Penh, which had been closed for decades.

For Cambodia's authoritarian government, who in August saw trade privileges partially cut by the EU in response to the erosion of democracy in Phnom Penh since 2017, Szijjarto's visit signalled something more important: it had found a new ally within the EU.

Cambodia's

Get EU news that matters

Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member

Already a member? Login here

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver

Author Bio

David Hutt is a political journalist based between the Czech Republic and the UK, reporting on EU foreign policy and Europe-Asia relations. He was formerly based in Southeast Asia between 2014-2019. He is Southeast Asia Columnist at the Diplomat, a columnist and correspondent at Asia Times, and a contributor to Foreign Policy, Euronews, Nikkei Asia, and others.

Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjarto. His trip to Cambodia showed Pnohm Penn they had an ally within the EU - but turned into a PR disaster when he tested positive for Covid-19 (Photo: Council of the European Union)

Tags

Author Bio

David Hutt is a political journalist based between the Czech Republic and the UK, reporting on EU foreign policy and Europe-Asia relations. He was formerly based in Southeast Asia between 2014-2019. He is Southeast Asia Columnist at the Diplomat, a columnist and correspondent at Asia Times, and a contributor to Foreign Policy, Euronews, Nikkei Asia, and others.

Ad

Related articles

Ad
Ad