I am on the phone with Rep. Richard McCormick. Both the Congressman and I, aside from being former Marines, have something else in common: we’ve both just gotten back from two separate whirlwind tours to Cambodia in the past month.
There’s a lot to talk about, especially on the issues of Chinese supremacy in the region and Cambodia’s increasingly America-aligned Cabinet and policy shift.
Rep. Richard McCormick is a trained military helicopter pilot for the US Marines (Source: Instagram)
Rep. McCormick, representing Georgia’s 7th District, acknowledges the new bilateral playing field shaped by the U.S.-China economic rivalry. He talks a tough game.
“I just read this morning that Thailand is doing a Joint Exercise with China which surprised me. They are doing a Joint Air Exercise,” he says.
“Not that I am not trusting of China or the CCP – but I’m not.”
Rep. McCormick's experiences in Cambodia mostly mimic my own. Before this summer, we'd both been to Thailand: Rep. McCormick was a Marine participating in U.S. joint military exercises with Cobra Gold, and I was part of a humanitarian mission with an NGO alongside the Thai military in 2018. However, both our trips represented our first time in Cambodia.
The people are "phenomenal," he tells me.
Rep. McCormick with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (Source: Rep. McCormick's Office)
"It was interesting to see how rapidly businesses had expanded there, which was much faster than most economies in the region, including in Taiwan, which has seen a 400% increase in the last 6 years."
In part, this growth is because of the leaders of Cambodia, who come from impressive Western pedigrees: the Prime Minister Hun Manet was educated at West Point, and the Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol is also American-educated at Wharton and Harvard, and worked for General Electric for over 15 years.
From right: Rep. Richard McCormick (R-GA), Prime Minister Hun Manet, Rep. Lori Trahan (D-MA), Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) (Source: Rep. McCormick's Office)
"He's a very strong personality," Rep. McCormick says of the Deputy Prime Minister. It was a description that echoed former President Trump's own words for Prime Minister Hun Manet, whom he congratulated as a "strong leader" in a personal letter.
"We probably wouldn't have gone if the Cambodians hadn't allowed us to visit the Ream Naval Base, which has been getting a lot of attention," says Rep. McCormick. "We were the first non-military diplomats to set foot there."
Here is some history for those not familiar with Cambodia's maritime politics: Ream Naval Base is located on a peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand. During the Cambodian Civil War, it was relatively dilapidated until being resurrected in the mid-70's with help from the British Navy.
In 2019, reports surfaced that a secret agreement had been reached between China and Cambodia, allowing China to use up to a third of the base for the next 30 years. While denied by Cambodian officials, the rumors piqued the interest of foreign policy hawks, and last year, the USS Savannah visited the base.
Rep. McCormick's visit was therefore a notable event in the world of Southeast Asian international relations, marking the first time a U.S. Members of Congress had been allowed to set foot on a Cambodian military base.
"Quite frankly, I've been watching [China's] posturing towards Taiwan, I've been watching their posturing worldwide. It surprised me when I saw Prime Minister Modi go to the Military Parade in China when they were actually at odds with each other. You can see how China has inserted itself in that region as a kind of powerhouse; everyone is paying homage to them," says Rep. McCormick.
In terms of the Naval base visit, the insights gleaned were key.
"China has constructed a huge new pier there – you can see it from Satellite images. We have intelligence on it," he says.
"The Cambodians wouldn't talk about the facilities we saw there, which were considerable. They have a minimal presence as a naval base – very few people live there – but there are a ton of brand-new Barracks. Brand-new for what? They couldn't talk about that. Their constitution expressly prohibits permanent structures by outside forces. So I asked a lot of questions about that, just saying 'hey look, I am not trying to pry, but this is important information that we understand about each other.'"
Transparency, says McCormick, is key from "both Thailand and Cambodia," as that is the way President Trump operates.
Rep. Richard McCormick with President Donald J. Trump (Source: Instagram)
"The nice thing about President Trump is he's not playing around; everything is transparent. You're able to watch and see exactly how our economies integrate."
In this way, I believe Cambodia could consider amending its laws to prevent U.S. access to its military installations and bases, thereby fostering a closer environment of cooperation. If such an amendment were made, it would represent an enormous economic boom, potentially lifting all sanctions and encouraging a free flow of FDI.
This would open up an avenue for what Trump told Manet in his August personal letter, that he hoped would be a "focus on prosperity for our two great countries."
It was only recently that people said we would never see the day when U.S. officials would be seen anywhere near a Cambodian military installation. And here is a U.S. Congressman meeting the nation's most powerful leaders on a formerly off-limits Naval base.
"Cambodia's economy is certainly set up for this potential boom and a strong U.S. partnership," says Rep. McCormick.
"One of the greatest things that Cambodia has done, and this is much to the credit of the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Who are very well educated, and have been working for American businesses all along, is their openness," he tells me.
Rep. Richard McCormick takes a selfie at Angor Wat (Source: Rep. Richard McCormick)
“English language proficiency is high,” he points out. This reflects my experience as well: during my visit, no translator was required. Something is clearly working in the higher education system there.
Another thing that makes Cambodia's potential for transparency all the more attractive is its rules on foreign ownership of businesses there, he tells me. This contrasts with other Southeast Asian nations of strategic importance, such as Thailand and Korea, which impose limits on foreign ownership.
"Now if you look at the way they've accepted American businesses into Cambodia, to expand uninhibited, not with government ownership, like some countries when you come to the country they say 'we have to own 51% of it', or 'anything we buy from the military has to be produced here' or 'we have to have 51% of that production' – Cambodia is not like that. That's one of the huge advantages of their economic expansion. That's why they're doing so well."
Since the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia represents "probably one of the most significant transformations in government and economy we've ever seen in world history," he says.
I turn the conversation to my own area of expertise, which is the Thailand-Cambodia border crisis.
What Rep. McCormick has to say is surprising for its directness.
"As far as the [Thai] Prime Minister being relieved, I didn't like that scenario at all," he says.
Rep. Richard McCormick at Wat Pho in Thailand (Source: Rep. McCormick)
The scenario he is discussing is this: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, became Thailand's 31st prime minister in August last year at age 37, making her the youngest and second female PM in the country's history.
Shortly into her tenure as the country's leader, a deadly skirmish broke out near the disputed Preah Vihear temple, killing a Cambodian soldier and prompting troop buildups and trade halts. Shinawatra's strategy was to pursue close family ties with Cambodia's influential former leader, Hun Sen..
In June this year, she held a private phone call with him, addressing him as "uncle" and criticizing a Thai general. The phone call, which was recorded, was allegedly released by a rogue Cambodian operative and a Thai military commander.
It all came to a head this summer when her father – one of Thailand's most successful Prime Ministers to date who ushered in an era of prosperity in Thailand ended up being arrested and is serving a one-year jail sentence on what were ostensibly separate charges but were really just a shoe-in to save his daughter from further persecution.
"I felt like the Prime Minister [Paetongtarn Shinawatra] was trying to be deferential and polite, and of course, you cannot cause embarrassment to a foreign country. I would hate to see that happen, because it doesn't help the peace process once again. That was not beneficial, and it should not have been released. Whoever released that tape from the Cambodian side – you did not do your nation any good at all. It did not help the peace process," he says.
"There were basically things that were done on both sides that were not constructive to the peace process, and now it's time to figure out how we go forward."
Rep. Richard McCormick in his days as a US Marine (Source: Instagram)
Rep. McCormick is right on the money. As both a freedom-loving American and a DC insider, I can say this much: Americans, with their fair share of politically-motivated prosecutions under the Biden administration, are weary of this sort of targeting of populist leaders like those in the Shinawatra family. It was heartbreaking for America to see a father rescue his innocent daughter by having to go to jail.
President Trump, too, has sympathy for those who are targeted for peace in what are no more than political witch-hunts. The taking out of influential political leaders who stand for truth, freedom, and prosperity with the weaponization of the courts is, after all, something he has personal experience with.
So it doesn't surprise me to see Rep. McCormick take a swing at that kind of corruption, although his directness impresses me.
"I don't think Cambodia is Thailand's enemy, ultimately. Jointly, in the future, there's peace through strength, but there's also a bigger enemy looming," he says.
I ask him about the border dispute with Thailand and the peace process with the return of 18 Cambodian soldiers.
"So let me start with the peace process that Trump participated in. We visited both Thailand and Cambodia, allowing us to hear both sides of the story. One of the astounding things is that both countries appreciate President Trump's involvement in this peace process, and for monks to break their vow of silence and endorse President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize speaks volumes<" he says.
"Among the Cambodian people, I've never seen a foreign president as popular in a foreign country as President Trump is in Cambodia. Cambodia is not going to compete with Thailand economically, or militarily, or population-wise – it's kind of like Ukraine trying to compete with Russia by itself – so President Trump stepping in was huge for the Cambodian nation, for its people, for its military. It was a significant step that only he could do, and it was noted and they truly appreciate that."
(Since this conversation early in the week, 28 civilians were injured in a dramatic conflict with armed guards on the Thai border, making this pressing point all the more pronounced.)
I mention that Thai news reported that the military was going to send 10 tonnes of human waste to these areas and spray the border with excrement. The Congressman seems startled by this suggestion and immediately picks up on it.
"I have not heard those reports, and I would assume if Thailand were asked about them, that they would deny them, so I would love to know who specifically said that. If you have a record of that, I'll be glad to address that with the Thailand ambassador because I don't think anyone wants to see excrement sprayed on land, I don't think that's good for the peace process," he says.
"I'd be surprised if the leadership of Thailand endorsed that, although maybe it is – but I would love to look into that if that's an actual report with actual people's names behind it," says Rep. McCormick.
He goes on to relay a personal anecdote from his travels in Cambodia. Once again, this is something that mimics my own experiences: "One of the things I really appreciated about Cambodia was when we went through the Khmer Rouge Museum and we looked at what happened and the atrocities, one of the things that surprised me was that Pol Pot died a natural death in the mountains. And the attitude of the Cambodian people was that is not their philosophy, that is not their religion, and that is not the way they look at life. They are looking for a peaceful future."
In terms of working on next steps to get the Cambodian hostages returned home, Rep. McCormick is more tight-lipped, but he's committed to open hearings on the situation in the U.S.
"You never want to embarrass a country. You never want to go and act like you are forcing them to do something, so it's best that I work behind closed doors in private, appealing to people's humanity," he says.
"With Thailand, they are our friends. They are one of our oldest allies in the region, dating back about 190 years, which is incredible. I want to make sure that I protect that relationship, and I positively use that influence because then we are more likely to get those folks back to their country if we do it behind closed doors rather than if we try to make it a public spectacle."
Rep. Richard McCormick with others in Thailand (Source: Rep. McCormick)
I floated the idea of holding open hearings in the U.S. regarding the current border crisis as one suggestion, maintaining that it might lend some of the transparency that President Trump typically advocates. He's supportive of the suggestion.
"Open hearings are a great idea here, and we could have both sides, then lay out their arguments for each other to hear and lay out the evidence. I'm a big fan of open hearings, and if that's something that is going to help heal rifts, then that's something I'd be willing to push for," he says.
How about the scam centers throughout Cambodia that have been shut down? Cambodia's recent crackdown on these centers represents a willingness to work with America on developing a robust and honest economy, since many of these centers were run by Chinese actors using Cambodia as a conduit.
"This is a very positive development in Cambodia, and any help militarily or otherwise we can give them to combat international fraud, we will. Stealing from other countries is basically another form of warfare," he says.
With that, we circle back to a brief discussion on China and whether there's now the potential for a new partnership between Cambodia and the U.S. – and not just predominantly with the Chinese – on the horizon in light of all these events.
The impression he leaves is one where President Trump's America is pushing for partnership, peace through strength, and change, rather than world dominance. This will be the better long-term gambit for the future of American hegemony.
“[Cambodia] doesn't want to choose between us and China. [China] will be an essential part of the economy in the future. Still, as we have seen with their participation with the World Trade Organization, they have a propensity to cheat and to leverage their position by basically holding up winners and losers in their economy," says Rep. McCormick.
"They go into other countries and take their natural resources. They use slave labour from the western portion of their country – they are not good actors. I think most countries that interact with them – whether they be in Africa, the Far East, or South America – if they haven't already found out, will eventually find out that China's not doing it for your best interests, they're doing it for their best interests."