Navigation


 

Background


Cambodia and China have always had a long history of close relationships. The late King Father Norodom Sihanouk was a close friend to China’s Prime Minister Zhou En Lai who provided him a place stay in Beijing for a period of time after he was deposed from power by Lon Nol in 1970 and facilitated his return to Cambodia afterwards. After the Khmer Rouge period, China continued to be a close friend of, and ally to, Cambodia by being one of the 19 signatories of the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. These were agreements on a comprehensive political settlement to the Cambodian conflict which brought peace and political stability back to Cambodia after decades of war. Scholars refer to Cambodia’s post­1990s period as the “renaissance” of ‘Chineseness’ in Cambodia due to the swift rise of Sino­Khmer economic and cultural activities in Cambodia. China became even closer friends to Cambodia in this period as is evident through the steadily increasing military and development assistance, as well as private investment. From 2006 to 2010 alone, it was reported that Cambodia had approved US$6 billion of Chinese investment while at least another US$2 billion in grant aid and loans were approved by China.

This close relationship has recently been enhanced to a strategic level, offering both countries the possibility of benefitting diplomatically, economically and politically. In late 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off a grand initiative to establish a contemporary iteration of the ancient Silk Road with the creation of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, collectively called the Belt and Road initiative. Both of these grand initiatives aim to facilitate regional cooperation, deepen mutual understanding and establish mutually beneficial ties between China, Europe and Africa with Southeast Asia as important strategic partners, not only in providing intermediary port facilities, but also in importing/exporting goods to the growing markets.

With the establishment of the Belt and Road initiative, Cambodia, as a fast growing member of the ASEAN Community, stands at a critical juncture in the linkage of Asian connectivity on the implementation of this grand project. A golden opportunity arises for Cambodia and China to cooperate for mutual and regional benefit. Being the country’s oldest and largest university and being well-endowed with capable human resources, Royal University of Phnom Penh positions itself ahead of other universities and think tanks to boost strategic cooperation in support of this connectivity.

Until today, there has not been any government entity or research center established in order to formally study the political economy of such closer relationships between Cambodia and China. Therefore, this center intends to be the first of its kind, with a vision to become the foremost think tank and resource center, serving Cambodian policy­makers, scholars, students, professionals and the general public in all areas of the Maritime Silk Road.

 

Vision and Goal

 

1. Vision

The existence of the research Center is to interpret, inform, and influence developments and policy making for the benefits and interests of Cambodia in all areas of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

 

2. Goal

The overall goal is to establish a center to support connectivity and facilitate a better understanding of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Center envisions itself as a sustainable resource center serving Cambodian policy­makers, scholars, students, professionals and the general public on issues related to connectivity between China and Southeast Asia in the context of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It functions as the foremost think tank, training center and hub of information in Cambodia, coordinating the exchange of knowledge and research between Cambodia and China with a focus on mutual growth and understanding.

 

Project Objectives

The Center serves three major objectives:

1. To promote intensive learning about the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road by Cambodian graduates and undergraduates, as well as research among Cambodian scholars on the topic of the Maritime Silk Road;

2. To provide training courses for “connectivity professionals” on diplomatic, business, economic and cultural approaches of the Maritime Silk Road; and

3. To advance the exchange of views on President Xi’s “neighborhood diplomacy” through win-win cooperation and connectivity among Chinese scholars/officials, Cambodian government officers and Cambodian and regional researchers.

 

Main Functions of the Center

The Center has three main functions:

 

1. Teaching and Research

1.1 Teaching

The Center focuses on teaching and research with the emphasis on connectivity and the Belt and Road Initiative, particularly the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, mainly to both undergraduate and graduate students of RUPP, but also to students of other universities in Cambodia via short intensive and certificate courses.

1.2 Research

The Center has three broad programs within its research component:

1.2.1 Political and Strategic Program

This component encompasses broad policy issues, governance, international relations, regional security, politics, and the political economy of regional growth in the context of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

1.2.2 Economic and Financial Program

This research program covers economic and financial aspects of infrastructural connectivity.

1.2.3 Social, Cultural and Environmental Program

This component includes on all aspects of institutional, people-to-people connectivity and issues of socio-cultural and environmental challenges in the context of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Project implementation.

 

2. Training and Workshop

In partnership with research think tanks from China and the region, the Center conducts training courses for "connectivity professionals" including policy­makers, civil servants, and researchers on diplomatic, business, economic and cultural approaches of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. These training courses will be put together with the objective of creating well-informed policies, sound academic understanding, and mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Center plans to organize periodic forums in Cambodia or partner’s locations in China as well as occasional regional joint conferences. The Center aims to position these forums as the country's premier locus for rigorous discussion of issues pertaining to connectivity, the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

These forums have several aims:

 

3. Publications and Dissemination

The Center creates various platforms for the publication and dissemination of its research to a large and varied audiences consisting of policymakers, academia, and the educated public. It aspires to fulfill this task through publishing research findings and policy briefs in a wide variety of outlets; issuing a series of publications on the issues under its mandate; and conducting frequent interviews and lectures given by experts from China, the region and Cambodia.

While each of the above components could function on its own in that it could develop its own annual implementation plan and budget, it is envisioned that each component complements each other seamlessly. The findings from research studies feed information and knowledge to the training/conference team where such knowledge could be used in informing policy makers, developing course curriculums for students and civil servants, and serving as the core for publication materials for wider public interest.

 

Organizational Structure


rupp|cmsrrc structure

Membership


{{member.name}}

{{member.name}} {{member.text}}

 

Contact Us


Dr. Neak Chandarith

Cambodia Maritime Silk Road Research Center
Room 405, Building B, Royal University of Phnom Penh
Russian Confederation Boulevard, Toul Kok, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Tel: (855) 15 77 88 20
Top