Cambodia's position vis-a-vis the China-Vietnam conflict in the South China Sea

But China is in a far better position to do so, and Khmer nationalists, including Opposition groups should seek Chinese financial support needed to build up a nationwide movement or network capable of supplanting the existing Vietnamese installed CPP economic patronage arrangement.

Hanoi must have foreseen this tension with China over the South China Sea potentially leading to a major confrontation for a while.

With the US publicly voicing displeasure over China's claim over this stretch of international water, the Vietnamese maybe looking to agitate the US even more by provoking Beijing and hoping increased tension will result in US war ships being despatched to the region where Vietnam will be their most eager ally and port of call.

If I'm not mistaken, this is what Hanoi is banking on: by exploiting Washington's fear of losing control over this vital international waterway it hopes to gain a committed patron that will be strong enough (like the former Soviet Union in Ho Chi Minh's time) to shield Vietnam from the Chinese threat.

Indeed, the Vietnamese are appealing to the US and other regional alliances to help 'resolve' the tension over the dispute. It helps that other members of ASEAN such as the Philippines and Malaysia also lay claims over those islands. But, the most crucial issue for Hanoi is political rather than economic or sovereignty claims over distant islands: Vietnam needs an ally-patron as a counterweight to growing Chinese power and influence in the region. Failing to gain such a patron will not bode well for her national security.

The US will, for her part, try to avoid military confrontation with China especially involving a nation (Vietnam) where she learned a painful lesion. But she has to let Beijing know that there is limit to Chinese expansion and control in the Asia-Pacific Rim region.

Cambodia's fate depends on how she interacts with all 3 players: US, China and Vietnam, the former 2 could offer her decisive opportunities with which to lessen her dependence on and bondage to Hanoi. The US may not be able to do much towards this end given her geo-political concerns beside offering limited inter-governmental assistance. But China is in a far better position to do so, and Khmer nationalists, including Opposition groups should seek Chinese financial support needed to build up a nationwide movement or network capable of supplanting the existing Vietnamese installed CPP economic patronage arrangement.