Taiwan will remove Cambodia from two visa facilitation programmes starting August 1, after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet reaffirmed Phnom Penh’s backing of China’s One China policy during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Cambodian passport holders will lose access to the Guanhong Project, which eases visa restrictions for select tour groups, and the Travel Authorization Certificate scheme, which allows conditional visa free entry. Focus Taiwan and CNA reported the changes on Friday, July 17.
Cambodia had been part of both schemes since 2018. Any future visa easing for Cambodian travellers will now depend on shifts in Phnom Penh’s stance towards Taiwan.
Taiwanese officials said Cambodia had failed to reciprocate Taipei’s goodwill, instead echoing language similar to China’s in statements that undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty. They further accused Phnom Penh of appearing to endorse the possibility of Beijing using force to pursue unification with Taiwan.
The move came as Taiwan extended visa free entry for Thai, Bruneian and Filipino citizens by a further year, to July 31, 2027. Citizens of India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos remain eligible for the Guanhong Project and Travel Authorization Certificate schemes until December 31, 2027.
Taiwan’s decision coincided with Hun Manet’s visit to China from July 15 to 17, where he attended the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai.
During the trip, Hun Manet reaffirmed Cambodia’s position on the One China policy, which recognises Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory. He said Cambodia opposed any attempt to interfere in China’s internal affairs, describing issues involving Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang and Tibet as purely internal matters for Beijing.
According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi stressed the importance of deepening the friendship between China and Cambodia during the meeting.
Hun Manet also thanked China for what he described as its longstanding, unconditional support for Cambodia’s social and economic development. He pledged to work with Beijing to strengthen political trust, boost bilateral trade, continue infrastructure cooperation and step up joint efforts against telecom fraud, reported MGR Online.
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