Cambodia's Hun Sen will tighten political grip
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Subject Cambodian government's response to international and domestic pressure. Significance Prime Minister Hun Sen last week said China will help Cambodia if the EU suspends trade privileges over what the bloc regards as democratic backsliding. Separately, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court sentenced in absentia Sam Rainsy, co-founder of the dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), to eight years in prison for insulting the king and demoralising the armed forces. Impacts The Cambodian government could contemplate limited concessions to forestall international sanctions. Cambodia will draw closer to China economically and politically. A weak CNRP will likely fragment as it struggles against Hun Sen's repressive tactics.