Cambodia leads in China diplomacy amid epidemic fears

Friend in need: Xi (right) meeting Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. China welcomes this ‘close and tested friend’ with open arms amid dazzling publicity. — Xinhua

CAMBODIAN Prime Minister Hun Sen stood out in regional diplomacy this month as he became the first foreign leader to visit Beijing amid fears over the highly contagious and deadly coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak that is hitting Wuhan and other parts of China.

Facing domestic criticism that Cambodia was the only country refusing to evacuate its students from Wuhan, Hun Sen unexpectedly declared early last week he would go to the epicentre of the epidemic outbreak to show concern for the 23 stranded Cambodians.