After U.S. President Donald Trump's administration froze donations in January to Cambodia's largest demining organization, which works to clear the countryside of deadly remnants of Washington's past wars in Southeast Asia, the group announced new funding — from China.
Beijing has doubled its contributions over the past three years to the Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC), which helps clear millions of unexploded munitions, said Heng Ratana, who leads the group.
On Feb. 5, CMAC said it had received a pledge from Beijing to contribute $4.4 million — surpassing the $2 million donated by the U.S. last year. Ratana said China understands that such support helps "build up people-to-people networks" and generates economic returns.
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