Relations between the EU, especially France, and Cambodia have been more strained in recent years due to the EU’s criticism of Cambodia’s human rights and democratic environment. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet’s visit to France on 18-19 January 2024 represented a turning point in the bilateral relations between the two nations.
On 21 April 2023, the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) hosted a roundtable discussion and expert exchange with European Union Visitors Programme (EUVP) delegates.
In November 2022, Southeast Asia entered the centre of global attention as the region hosted an unprecedented group of major international summits: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Related Summits in Cambodia on 10-13 November, the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders’ Summit in Indonesia on 15-16 November and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Thailand on 18-19 November. Yet, as the summit season gathered the world’s leaders to foster stronger international cooperation, the gatherings were dominated by soaring diplomatic tensions and the growing strategic polarisation, consequently putting Southeast Asia’s international leadership to the test.
The 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) took place on 25-26 November 2021 via videoconference under the theme “strengthening multilateralism for shared growth”. ASEM has major untapped potential but remains a valuable platform for dialogue and the exchange of information for its members.