Like much of Southeast Asia, ethnic Chinese dominate Cambodian commerce at every level of society. Entrepreneurial savvy Chinese have literally taken over Cambodia's entire economy. Ethnic Chinese wield tremendous economic clout over their indigenous Khmer majority counterparts and play a critical role in maintaining the country's economic vitality and prosperity. The ethnic Chinese community is one of the most socioeconomically and politically influential and powerful communities in Cambodia. The community dominates the entire Cambodian business sector and is economically prosperous relative to their indigenous Khmer counterparts. With their powerful economic prominence, the Chinese virtually make up the country's entire wealthy elite. Within this structure, Cambodia as a plural society where one's place in the economic structure depends on one's ethnic background. Furthermore, the Chinese Cambodians "not only form a distinct ethnic community, they also form, by and large, an economic class: the commercial middle and upper class in contrast to the poorer indigenous Khmer majority working and underclass, who have traditionally looked down on commerce.