Hun Manet, Cambodia’s leader in waiting: US military-educated, but China’s man?
- Hun Manet, the eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, is widely tipped to succeed his father
- Educated at America’s Military Academy, he was seen as a potential ally for the US but since returning home he has rebuilt the military with China’s help
When Cambodia’s long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen visited Beijing in February, trailing behind him as he shook hands with Foreign Minister Wang Yi was his eldest son, Hun Manet.
To discerning eyes, the scene was evidence not only of Hun Sen’s strengthening ties with Beijing – the visit took place despite the widespread suspension of flights to China amid the first wave of coronavirus infections – but also of Manet’s ascendancy as his father’s preferred successor.
While other countries have sanctioned Hun Sen’s government over alleged human rights issues, labour abuses and corruption, China’s relationship with Cambodia has been going from strength to strength. And with the United States and China locked in a growing struggle for influence in Southeast Asia, much energy is being expended in trying to discern which way this apparent leader in waiting will lean: towards the West or Beijing?
LEADER IN WAITING
The sense that Manet is being primed for the top job increased in June when the three-star general was promoted from vice-president to president of the youth wing of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP). The party has ruled Cambodia since 1979, and has cemented its grip on power since the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) was banned in 2017.
Before the 2018 election, Hun Sen, 68, had said Manet’s future depended on whether the party – and “the people” – would accept his second-born son (Hun Sen’s first son Hun Kamsot died soon after birth). Hun Sen had also said at the time he would lead the country for another 10 years.
