Chinese Cambodians

Unknown

Chinese Cambodians (or Sino-Khmers) are Cambodian citizens of Chinese ancestry or Chinese of full or partial Khmer ancestry. The Khmer term Khmer Kat Chen (ខ្មែរកាត់ចិន) is used for people of mixed Chinese and Khmer descent; Chen Khmer (ចិនខ្មែរ) means Cambodian-born citizen with ancestry from China. The Khmer constitute the largest ethnic group in Cambodia among whom Chen means "Chinese". Contact with the Chinese people such as envoys, merchants, travelers and diplomats who regularly visited Indochina verifiably existed since the beginning of the common era. In 802 AD, Jayavarman II established the Khmer Empire (Angkor Empire) by unifying various Chenla states and declaring himself a universal monarch (chakravartin) on Mount Kulen, with Chinese historical records had tracked the region since the earlier Funan period, indicating long-standing maritime trade, cultural, and diplomatic ties with China. This marked the start of the Angkorian period, transitioning from a period of conflict to a centralized, prosperous agricultural society relying on rice cultivation. However, the earliest record of a Chinese community in Cambodia dates to the 13th century.