With China's Help, Cambodia Strongman Set to Extend 33-Year Rule

- As Cambodians prepare to go to the polls on Sunday, a win is all but assured for strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen in an election that highlights China’s growing influence in Asia over the West.

Following a narrow election victory in 2013 over opposition leader Sam Rainsy and his Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Hun Sen -- who’s been in power for 33 years -- has since disbanded the party, silenced his critics and forced the closure of most independent media.

In that time he’s grown ever closer to China, accepting cash from Beijing in return for supporting its geopolitical aims in the region – particularly regarding disputed territory in the South China Sea. When the U.S. and European Union pulled funding for the election, China stepped in with $20 million for equipment, including polling booths, laptops and computers.

As a staunch supporter of Hun Sen’s regime, Beijing has billions of dollars at stake. This month, U.S. security-research firm FireEye said it found evidence of a Chinese hacking team infiltrating computer systems belonging to Cambodia’s election commission, opposition leaders and the media.