{"asset":"news","key":"3558","locale":"en","id":"news:3558:en","entityId":"news:3558","canonicalUrl":"https://www.kps-tv.com/en/news/detail/3558","state":"ready","title":"Hun Sen rejects Thai online claims that China funded Cambodia's SEA Games","summary":"On December 6, Hun Sen rejected Thai social-media criticism, distinguishing China's stadium construction aid from Cambodia's own funding of the 2023 SEA Games and detailing the budget and actual expenditure.","body":"On December 6, Cambodia's acting head of state, Samdech Hun Sen, publicly rejected claims circulating on Thai social media that Cambodia had relied on Chinese money to host the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. He stressed that all funds used to stage the Games had come from national budgets over several years, with no funding from China or any other country. He said some online comments misled the public and harmed Cambodia–China friendship and Cambodia's national dignity.\nHun Sen said his official page had recently posted videos of the 2023 SEA Games closing ceremony, prompting misunderstandings and even disparaging comments from some Thai internet users. Expressing shock, he rejected those remarks. He acknowledged that China had financed the construction of the large Morodok Techo National Stadium. However, he said the costs of staging the Games—including event organisation, hosting athletes and venue maintenance—were covered by Cambodian government allocations of about US$10 million annually from 2018 to 2022, totalling nearly US$50 million, plus US$150 million in the 2023 Budget Law, for a combined total of nearly US$200 million. With effective management, actual expenditure was only US$118 million. Cambodia covered food and accommodation for all ASEAN delegations as a voluntary contribution to regional solidarity.\nHun Sen added that Cambodia's public finances had long followed the principle of living within its means. He credited prudent budget management by former finance minister Keat Chhon and current finance minister Aun Pornmoniroth with maintaining sufficient funds for infrastructure and social welfare. “Cambodia may not have abundant resources, but we do not lack responsibility or goodwill,” he said. He urged some voices in Thailand to stop making false accusations, saying: “Such remarks not only disrespect Cambodia, but also humiliate China, a superpower.” He wished Thailand success in hosting the 2025 SEA Games and said he had a duty to protect Cambodia's national dignity and clarify the matter to the Cambodian and Thai peoples.\nThe report described Hun Sen's response as drawing a clear line in the recent online controversy and highlighting Cambodia's fiscal transparency and ability to finance the Games itself. He stressed that sport was a bond promoting regional solidarity, rather than a tool for provoking disputes, and hoped outsiders would end misunderstandings about Cambodia and view sports exchanges and cooperation between the two countries more calmly.\nCompiled by this station","contentScope":"full","proof":{"publishedSourceRevision":"1","publishedWorkingVersionId":"17262","languageVersionId":"15499","visibilityVersion":"2","versionToken":"a1.ZBJoF5BvARLbsQGZ45zByZoiXlLmXhKVcNE2qm0nEkE"},"availableLocales":["zh","en","km"],"attributes":{"sourceLocale":"zh","translationKind":"machine","nodeId":"172","authorText":"","sourceName":"KPS99TV"},"references":[],"links":[],"publishedAt":"2025-12-07T03:06:19Z"}