100 Riels Diplomatic Relationship with China

Cambodia and China established formal diplomatic ties in 1958, but the relationship being commemorated here is the 2018 anniversary — 60 years by that count. China has been Cambodia's dominant foreign investor and infrastructure financier since the early 2000s, a relationship that has drawn sustained criticism from Western governments and shaped Cambodia's consistent alignment with Beijing in ASEAN disputes, particularly over South China Sea resolutions.

The National Bank of Cambodia has issued a notable volume of commemorative bimetallic pieces in this format since the 1990s, most with very limited collector distribution outside Southeast Asia.