Doug Ericksen
Doug Ericksen

Cambodia has given a $500K one-year contract to PacRim Bridges, which is fronted by two Washington state politicos, to improve its relations with the US.

Sen. Doug Ericksen visited Cambodia in July to observe the country’s elections, which NGOs criticized as a sham and featured a government crackdown of political opponents.

His firm is to arrange cultural exchanges between the two countries and meet with American business leaders to promote investment in Cambodia.

The US established full diplomatic relations with Cambodia in 1993. It supports the government’s actions to eliminate corruption, human trafficking and to improve the health of its people.

US foreign assistance to Cambodia accounted for 28 percent of its national budget in 2016, according to the State Dept.