Chhay Lim

Chhay Lim is the Designated Deputy Director of Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) at the Institute of International Studies and Public Policy, Royal University of Phnom Penh (Cambodia). He is concurrently a Fulbright Visiting Scholar to Elliott School of Interantional Affairs of the George Washington Univeristy.

For the past five years, he has deeply engaged in the foreign affairs think tank industry in Cambodia and beyond. Before joining CSEAS, he served as program manager for foreign affairs at Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung Cambodia, a German political think tank. Between 2018 and 2020, he worked for the Royal Government of Cambodia’s Spokesperson Unit and the United Nations Development Program Cambodia.

He holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Ritsumeikan University, Japan, supported by the Japanese Government’s scholarship. His research work was recognized with the “Best Paper Award in International Relations” at the 21st Asia Pacific Conference hosted by Ritsumeikan APU and the Japanese Prime Minister's Cabinet in 2023, and his thesis received Ritsumeikan University’s “Distinguished Thesis Award.” Chhay’s analyses on regional affairs have been featured by various commentary platforms. He speaks Khmer, English, and Mandarin Chinese.

Follow Chhay's analysis on Cambodia's foreign policy and Southeast Asia's shifting geopolitical landscape. One of the few Cambodian scholars bringing the region's small-state dynamics to international audiences — his commentary is essential reading for anyone watching the Indo-Pacific.

	Chhay Lim
	@ChhayLIM7
	@anthony_chhaylim

Research & Commentary

Chhay writes across academic journals and regional policy platforms, focusing on Cambodia's foreign policy, China's influence in Southeast Asia, and the shifting dynamics of great power competition in the Indo-Pacific. Below is a selection of his most notable work.

• Is Cambodia Pivoting to the US by Joining President Trump’s Board of Peace?

  The Diplomat • 3 March 2026

  • https://thediplomat.com/2026/03/is-cambodia-pivoting-to-the-us-by-joining-president-trumps-board-of-peace/

    
    

• State Rationality and the Calculus of Relative Gains: A Case of Thailand’s Armed Aggression Against Cambodia

  Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Institute for International Studies and Public Policy • January 2026

  • https://ruppedukh-my.sharepoint.com/personal/lim_chhay_rupp_edu_kh/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Flim%5Fchhay%5Frupp%5Fedu%5Fkh%2FDocuments%2FCSEAS%20Main%20Drive%2FAnalysis%202026%2FAnalysis%5FState%5FRationality%5F%26%5Fthe%5FCalculus%5Fof%5FRelative%5FGains%2Epdf&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Flim%5Fchhay%5Frupp%5Fedu%5Fkh%2FDocuments%2FCSEAS%20Main%20Drive%2FAnalysis%202026&ga=1

• Has Japan Lost in Southeast Asia?

  Khmer Times • 24 December 2025

  • https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501813885/has-japan-lost-in-southeast-asia/

• Five days that shook ASEAN: How THE Cambodia-Thailand border clash became a superpower showdown

  9 Dash Line • 3 October 2025

  • https://www.9dashline.com/article/five-days-that-shook-asean-how-the-cambodia-thailand-border-clash-became-a-superpower-showdown

• Rethinking Japan’s role in Cambodia

  Khmer Times • 2 June 2025

  • https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501693389/rethinking-japans-role-in-cambodia/

• Cambodia recalibrates its China policy, rather than realigns

  The Interpreter, Lowy Institute • 29 April 2025

  • https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/cambodia-recalibrates-its-china-policy-rather-realigns

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• With Xi Jinping Visit, Cambodia Doubles Down on China Ties

  The Diplomat • 22 April 2025

  • https://thediplomat.com/2025/04/with-xi-jinping-visit-cambodia-doubles-down-on-china-ties/

• Cambodia: A Test for China’s ‘BRI 2.0’ Vision

  The Diplomat • 7 February 2025

  • https://thediplomat.com/2025/02/cambodia-a-test-for-chinas-bri-2-0-vision/

• No Room for Missteps: Cambodia’s Strategic Wishlist For Trump 2.0

  9 Dash Line • 6 February 2025

  • https://www.9dashline.com/article/no-rooms-for-missteps-cambodias-strategic-wishlist-for-trump-20

• Cambodia’s soft but sure break from big brother Vietnam

  Asia Times • 12 November 2024

  • https://asiatimes.com/2024/11/cambodias-soft-but-sure-break-from-big-brother-vietnam/

• Lost in translation: China’s elite-centric approach in Cambodia

  The Interpreter, Lowy Institute • 1 November 2024

  • https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/lost-translation-china-s-elite-centric-approach-cambodia

• Caught between giants: Why Cambodia looks to Australia

  The Interpreter, Lowy Institute • 16 October 2024

  • https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/caught-between-giants-why-cambodia-looks-australia

• Cambodia isn’t actually pro-China at all

  Asia Times • 2 September 2024

  • https://asiatimes.com/2024/09/cambodia-isnt-actually-pro-china-at-all/

• Diverting from China: Cambodia’s foreign policy in a new era

  9 Dash Line • 3 July 2024

  • https://www.9dashline.com/article/diverting-from-china-cambodias-foreign-policy-in-a-new-era

• YL Blog #72 – As US-China Tensions Intensify, Is Japan a ‘Third Way’ for Southeast Asia?

  Pacific Forum • 28 June 2024

  • https://pacforum.org/publications/yl-blog-72-as-us-china-tensions-intensify-is-japan-a-third-way-for-southeast-asia/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAabbloKTA_QDcAko2dbyxjUG48TIZxJLeLAtSFkNhCSFlPtzSVmvgjUdwAE_aem_STxORPaTiClWqVSfpHhjNA

• How Cambodia’s Relationship with the US Can Stop Being “One-Sided Love”

  Fulcrum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute • 4 June 2024

  • https://fulcrum.sg/how-cambodias-relationship-with-the-us-can-stop-being-one-sided-love/

• The past, present and future of Cambodia–Thailand relations

  East Asia Forum • 27 April 2024

  • https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/03/27/the-past-present-and-future-of-cambodia-thailand-relations/

    
    

• Cambodia makes new friends on the international stage

  East Asia Forum • 11 April 2024

  • https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/04/11/cambodia-makes-new-friends-on-the-international-stage/

• Cambodia and Japan: Firm Friends Amid Great Power Rivalry

  Fulcrum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute • 29 February 2024

  • https://fulcrum.sg/cambodia-and-japan-firm-friends-amid-great-power-rivalry/

• Cambodia strengthens ties with Japan amid US–China tensions

  East Asia Forum • 24 January 2024

  • https://eastasiaforum.org/2024/01/24/cambodia-strengthens-ties-with-japan-amid-us-china-tensions/

• Reviewing China’s Elite-Centric Approach in its Relations with Cambodia

  ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute • 22 December 2023

  • https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2023-101-reviewing-chinas-elite-centric-approach-in-its-relations-with-cambodia-by-chhay-lim/

• Can Cambodia’s Future Foreign Policy Diverge from China?

  Fulcrum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute • 14 March 2023

  • https://fulcrum.sg/can-cambodias-future-foreign-policy-diverge-from-china/

• ASEAN 2022 Restores Cambodian Prestige

  CambodiaNess • 18 November 2022

  • https://cambodianess.com/article/opinion-asean-2022-restores-cambodian-prestige

• Regional Security Dilemma: Trends, Directions, and Illusion

  Diplomatic Briefing, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia • 15 September 2022

  • https://www.kas.de/en/web/kambodscha/diplomatic-briefing/detail/-/content/the-price-of-prosperity-economic-diplomacy-in-southeast-asia-and-the-world-2

    
    

• The Price of Prosperity: Economic Diplomacy in Southeast Asia and the World

  Diplomatic Briefing, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Cambodia • 7 February 2022

  • https://www.kas.de/en/web/kambodscha/diplomatic-briefing/detail/-/content/the-price-of-prosperity-economic-diplomacy-in-southeast-asia-and-the-world-1

Watch & Listen

Follow Chhay in conversation as he unpacks Cambodia's foreign policy choices, ASEAN's evolving role, and what it means for a small state to maintain strategic agency in an era of great power rivalry.

• Decypher Spotlight: Thailand-Cambodia Bilateral Ties

  DeChyper ASIA · 27 August 2025

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGJwGvvjmOM

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