TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Cambodian Senate President Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen spoke about his strategy to revive Cambodia’s post-conflict economy, which he said remained weak during the 1980s and 1990s.
Hun Sen said Cambodia’s economic and infrastructure development relied heavily on foreign aid during that time period.
"(At that time) we kept making significant efforts to drive domestic reform, while simultaneously striving to integrate Cambodia into the regional and global economy," said Hun Sen during a public lecture at the ERIA School of Government in Jakarta on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Hun Sen, the then-prime minister, launched the Triangle Strategy from 1998 to 2003, followed by the four phases of the Rectangular Strategy from 2003 to 2023.
Hun Sen explained that the Triangle Strategy emphasized three main priorities. Firstly, Hun Sen focused on building peace, restoring stability, and maintaining security for the nation.
Secondly, Hun Sen supported Cambodia's integration into the regional and international community, including international financial institutions. He also sought to normalize Cambodia's relations with other countries to enhance trade and investment exchanges.
Thirdly, Hun Sen stated that he promoted socio-economic development, poverty reduction, governance, institutional and judicial reforms, and public sector management.
"To achieve success, our economic strategies and reforms were designed to focus on the people, by expanding the middle class while simultaneously reducing poverty," said Hun Sen, who served as prime minister of Cambodia from 1985 to 2023.
Furthermore, Hun Sen mentioned that during his third to sixth terms, the Cambodian government proceeded with the Rectangular Strategies with the motto: “Government for Growth, Employment, Equality, and Efficiency."
These strategies, Hun Sen explained, involved comprehensive economic agenda implementation to enhance and build public institution capacity. The strategies also aimed at strengthening good governance and modernizing national economic infrastructure, such as highways, railways, and air connectivity, to stimulate economic growth and create jobs for all citizens.
Hun Sen said that his government at that time aimed to ensure social equality and improve public sector efficiency.
In addition to promoting internal development, Hun Sen said that his government at that time also forged regional and international integration to create new opportunities for diplomatic relations, economic cooperation, and sustainable development.
At that time, Hun Sen led Cambodia's membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1999 and served as ASEAN's rotating chair thrice in 2002, 2012, and 2022.
"Through ASEAN, Cambodia has gained tremendous benefits with various international partners, and we have established interconnected relationships through various bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements," he said.
Cambodia succeeded in joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2004.
The Cambodian conflict comprised a series of military conflicts that spanned over several decades, starting with the Cambodian Civil War (1970-1975) and continuing with the Cambodian-Vietnamese War (1979-1989).
The controversies in the country involved power struggles, foreign intervention, and the impact of the Khmer Rouge regime's policies. The Cambodian-Vietnamese War, triggered by Vietnam's invasion to overthrow the Khmer Rouge regime, resulted in genocide and the collapse of Pol Pot's regime.
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