Cambodia has cancelled upcoming military exercises with the United States, the defence ministry said Tuesday, denying the decision was made to appease regional ally China, with which it conducted joint drills last month.
American and Cambodian troops had been due to take part in the annual "Angkor Sentinel" joint exercise this summer, which has been held for the past seven years.
But defence officials in Phnom Penh said the exercise had been halted because Cambodian troops were needed to carry out an ongoing drug crimes purge and prepare for upcoming local elections due to be held in June.
"We need forces to maintain security during the local elections in 2017. That's why we are suspending the exercise," Defense Ministry spokesman Chhum Socheat told AFP.
"It is not about Chinese influence," he added. "We have cooperation with both China and US as well as other countries."
Outgoing US President Barack Obama spent much of his eight years in office trying to forge closer alliances in Asia, part of his much-vaunted, but often distracted, pivot to the region.
It is unclear whether his successor Donald Trump will continue the policy.
Read the full story at SpaceDaily