RWR’s Courtney Hulse Comments on Use of Magnitsky Sanctions to Target Chinese Company in Cambodia in South China Morning Post
On September 15, Jacob Fromer of the South China Morning Post reported on new Magnitsky sanctions issued by the U.S. Treasury Department targeting Union Development Group, a Chinese-owned company actively developing Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Cambodia. The sanctions announcement cited forcible land acquisition and land degradation, and the article highlighted the projects’ benefit to Chinese entities at the expense of Cambodian residents. RWR Analyst, Courtney Hulse, noted that projects managed by UDG have also raised concerns about dual-use military potential and acknowledged that increased U.S. government action against Chinese entities implementing BRI projects seems likely. The article references RWR data estimating Chinese investment in Cambodia since the Belt and Road Initiative is understood to have begun in 2013.