Comrades in arms, or comrades in angst? Interest convergence, regime security, and the Vietnam factor in Cambodia’s and Laos’ relations with China

Abstract

Cambodia and Laos are often perceived as the states most geo-politically aligned with China in Southeast Asia. By engaging indigenous sources, we dive deeper into this claim through a comparative approach in this article. Parsing two primary parameters for comparisons—the degree of interest convergence and sources of regime security in Cambodia and Laos—it is argued that even as Phnom Penh and Vientiane both maintain largely China-friendly policies and positions, they also differ in their degree of tilt toward Beijing, with Laos pursuing a relatively more careful and calibrated approach toward its neighboring giant. This distinction can be explained by the relative difference in both countries’ calculations on Vietnam, an intervening factor that affects their management of asymmetry with China.