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Cambodia

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Cambodia. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Phnom Penh

Head of State

King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government

Prime Minister Hun Manet

Cambodian police officers stand guard outside a closed complex in Kandal province on Tuesday, following a raid to dismantle suspected scam and cyber-fraud operations. Photo: EPA

Thailand

Cambodia hosts anti-scam summit as scepticism lingers

Phnom Penh is gathering global law enforcement to showcase compound closures, but critics point to the missing billions and elite ties.

23 Sep 2026 - 12:22PMvideocam

Thailand

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

15 Sep 2026 - 3:56PM

War and conflict

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

13 Sep 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Science

US-China decoupling could benefit other countries, Chinese study finds

The study suggests a complete severing of trade ties would hurt both superpowers while bringing temporary gains elsewhere.

12 Sep 2026 - 8:00PM

While Chinese trade would be reshaped by a complete decoupling with the United States, the scenario could bring temporary gains to other economies, a trade war game suggests. Photo: AFP

Singapore

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

11 Sep 2026 - 9:53PM

Diplomacy

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

11 Sep 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

US sanctions Chinese-language Xinbi Guarantee marketplace over cyber scams

Washington also seizes Telegram channels and US$52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the platform’s alleged illicit operations.

10 Sep 2026 - 10:30AMvideocam

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announces enforcement actions against the Chinese-language marketplace Xinbi Guarantee in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Thailand

12 South Koreans arrested in Thailand scam centre crackdown

Police say the alleged scammers entered Thailand from a neighbouring country and rented a luxury house south of Bangkok.

8 Sep 2026 - 8:46PMvideocam

Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer computer training to more children in Cambodia

Club’s charities trust signs MOU with Cambodian authorities to expand computational training programme to cover early childhood learning.

8 Sep 2026 - 9:19PM

SCMP Highlights

Cambodia scam gangs; viral Jennie clip tests South Korea law: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan warships attracting US interest to viral clip of Blackpink’s Jennie, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

8 Sep 2026 - 4:59PM

Chinese public security officers escort a suspected China-born scam boss off a plane after he was extradited from Cambodia in April. Photo: China’s Ministry of Public Security/AFP

Asia travel

A run through history in Cambodia’s Angkor Empire Marathon

This year’s Angkor Empire Marathon saw participants race through misty forests and villages, and past ancient temples and rice fields, as dawn broke over Cambodia’s spectacular Angkor Archaeological Park.

5 Sep 2026 - 4:36PM

Competitors tackling the 10km race make their way through the South Gate of Angkor Thom, in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photo: Marissa Carruthers

Myanmar

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

2 Sep 2026 - 2:19PMvideocam

US-China relations

US Congress seeks to identify foreign countries behind scam calls

Inquiry comes as US government reports tying much of the financial damage from scams to Chinese criminal networks based in Southeast Asia.

2 Sep 2026 - 6:35AMvideocam

Singapore

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

31 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

Singapore’s Lawrence Wong attends an Asean meeting in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: legacies from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond

How legacies are built, from HKSTP’s tech innovation to culinary fusions and Nancy Kwan’s Hollywood impact.

30 Aug 2026 - 6:00AM

Cordelia Chung, chairman of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, photographed in front of the Charles K. Kao Auditorium, in Hong Kong Science Park, in the New Territories. Photo: Alexander Mak

Japan

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

28 Aug 2026 - 3:07PM

Asean

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

28 Aug 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

What China can do to secure trade routes in its coming high-seas struggle with US

Di Dongsheng argues it could take three decades for China to dominate access to ports, straits, canals and shipping lanes around the world.

27 Aug 2026 - 3:58PMvideocam

The era of open oceans could be drawing to a close, says academic Di Dongsheng, who urges Beijing to prepare “for struggle in a coming contest over sea power and the security of shipping routes”. Photo: Getty Images

United States

Why Cambodia is reviving US military drills despite close China ties

Restarting Angkor Sentinel drills lets Phnom Penh signal strategic autonomy without abandoning Beijing, analysts say.

23 Aug 2026 - 2:00PMvideocam

US-China relations

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

22 Aug 2026 - 12:08AMvideocam

Scams and swindles

Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, analyst warns

The technology could allow scam syndicates to carry out multiple tasks to cheat victims at the same time without needing human intervention.

21 Aug 2026 - 3:12PMvideocam

Losses from transnational online scams in Asia-Pacific surged to US$114 billion last year. Photo; Shutterstock

US-China trade war

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

20 Aug 2026 - 7:15AM

Containers at the Port of Long Beach in the US on May 20. Photo: Los Angeles Times/TNS

Palestinian Territories

Declining aid threatens landmine clearing efforts in Southeast Asia

Aid cuts and shifting geopolitical priorities leave Cambodian and regional demining groups struggling to remove deadly wartime relics.

19 Aug 2026 - 12:35PM

SCMP Highlights

How monarchies stay relevant; Pakistan’s new defence pact: 7 Asia highlights

From Southeast Asia’s monarchies to a shoving incident in Singapore, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

18 Aug 2026 - 2:31PM

US-Asean relations

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

18 Aug 2026 - 5:33PMvideocam

A container lifter is used to organise goods containers at a port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo: AP

Thailand

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

16 Aug 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Cambodian migrant workers cross the border at Ban Laem Border checkpoint in Chanthaburi province, Thailand, in July last year to return to their home amid the deadly border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia

How Southeast Asia’s monarchies stay relevant in a volatile region

The kings in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Brunei have to be attuned to societal or economic changes to survive, analysts say.

15 Aug 2026 - 10:00AM

Thailand

Why Thailand is eyeing BrahMos missiles to boost maritime defence

Analysts say BrahMos could boost Thailand’s deterrence at sea and give it more options as tensions with Cambodia persist.

13 Aug 2026 - 6:45PM

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Cambodia

Cambodia hosts anti-scam summit as scepticism lingers

Phnom Penh is gathering global law enforcement to showcase compound closures, but critics point to the missing billions and elite ties.

Cambodia, Thailand take US$300 billion seabed dispute to UN

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

US-China decoupling could benefit other countries, Chinese study finds

The study suggests a complete severing of trade ties would hurt both superpowers while bringing temporary gains elsewhere.

As Singapore weighs joining China-led AI body, does it risk US retaliation?

Joining the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation gives Singapore influence, but may affect its Pax Silica role, analysts say.

Opinion | The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

Cambodia’s compulsory conciliation with Thailand under UN sea law shows how international law can deliver peaceful outcomes before tensions boil over.

US sanctions Chinese-language Xinbi Guarantee marketplace over cyber scams

Washington also seizes Telegram channels and US$52 million in cryptocurrency linked to the platform’s alleged illicit operations.

12 South Koreans arrested in Thailand scam centre crackdown

Police say the alleged scammers entered Thailand from a neighbouring country and rented a luxury house south of Bangkok.

Hong Kong Jockey Club to offer computer training to more children in Cambodia

Club’s charities trust signs MOU with Cambodian authorities to expand computational training programme to cover early childhood learning.

Cambodia scam gangs; viral Jennie clip tests South Korea law: 7 Asia highlights

From Japan warships attracting US interest to viral clip of Blackpink’s Jennie, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

A run through history in Cambodia’s Angkor Empire Marathon

This year’s Angkor Empire Marathon saw participants race through misty forests and villages, and past ancient temples and rice fields, as dawn broke over Cambodia’s spectacular Angkor Archaeological Park.

Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown

Dislodged from Cambodian compounds, cyberscam cartels have been setting up shop in Laos, Myanmar and even Malaysia.

US Congress seeks to identify foreign countries behind scam calls

Inquiry comes as US government reports tying much of the financial damage from scams to Chinese criminal networks based in Southeast Asia.

Small state, big agenda: Singapore prepares to steer Asean through crisis

The city state takes the helm on Asean’s 60th anniversary amid civil war, tariff threats and rising global tensions.

This week in PostMag: legacies from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond

How legacies are built, from HKSTP’s tech innovation to culinary fusions and Nancy Kwan’s Hollywood impact.

Japan to expand security aid to 12 Indo-Pacific nations

Tokyo has more than doubled its security assistance programme to US$114 million in a strategic push.

Opinion | Why Southeast Asia isn’t buying the US’ offer of ‘flexible realism’

Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby talked up US partnerships with Asean nations during his trip to the region, but Washington’s actions contradict its ‘Asia first’ rhetoric.

What China can do to secure trade routes in its coming high-seas struggle with US

Di Dongsheng argues it could take three decades for China to dominate access to ports, straits, canals and shipping lanes around the world.

Why Cambodia is reviving US military drills despite close China ties

Restarting Angkor Sentinel drills lets Phnom Penh signal strategic autonomy without abandoning Beijing, analysts say.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race

Beijing reportedly offers exclusive perks to attract Global South partners while describing the American-led body as exclusionary.

Asia faces scam ‘epidemic’ threat as gangs exploit agentic AI, analyst warns

The technology could allow scam syndicates to carry out multiple tasks to cheat victims at the same time without needing human intervention.

Editorial | ‘Transshipment scam’ is not a global conspiracy but a warning to the US

The White House’s accusation that over 40 nations are involved in a shadow network that harms the US betrays a misunderstanding of how trade works.

Declining aid threatens landmine clearing efforts in Southeast Asia

Aid cuts and shifting geopolitical priorities leave Cambodian and regional demining groups struggling to remove deadly wartime relics.

How monarchies stay relevant; Pakistan’s new defence pact: 7 Asia highlights

From Southeast Asia’s monarchies to a shoving incident in Singapore, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

US transshipment ‘scam’ claims put Asean exporters in a bind

Analysts say a report accusing nine Southeast Asian nations of helping China skirt tariffs conflates cheating with legitimate trade.

How Cambodian worker exodus exposes Thailand’s fragile labour model

An estimated 780,000 Cambodian workers have left Thailand since last year’s border conflicts, affecting a wide range of industries.

How Southeast Asia’s monarchies stay relevant in a volatile region

The kings in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Brunei have to be attuned to societal or economic changes to survive, analysts say.

Why Thailand is eyeing BrahMos missiles to boost maritime defence

Analysts say BrahMos could boost Thailand’s deterrence at sea and give it more options as tensions with Cambodia persist.

My Take | US-Israeli failure to bomb Iran into submission was preordained

Exclusive | Waico vs Pax Silica: Southeast Asia caught between China and US in AI race