Norodom Sihanouk and Mao Zedong maintained a close and strategic relationship, rooted in mutual trust and support from the mid-1950s onward. Faced with Western suspicion and regional instability, Sihanouk turned to China for political backing, especially after his ouster in the 1970 coup, with Mao and China providing refuge and endorsing his calls for Cambodian resistance. Their friendship symbolized Cambodia’s effort to retain neutrality and independence during the Cold War while aligning more closely with the Communist bloc in times of crisis
