MYANMAR: Cambodian Foreign Minister, DPM Prak Sokhonn, and Chinese Foreign Minister, State Councilor Wang Yi, held a meeting on Sunday, 3 July, in Myanmar, where the two sides discussed bilateral relations and cooperation in many fields, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
The two Foreign Ministers met ahead of the seventh Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) Foreign Ministers' Meeting which is being held in Bagan, Myanmar on Monday, 4 July.
During the meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the cooperation between China and Cambodia is at the forefront of China's relations with other regional countries, and expressed that China is willing to further strengthen and deepen strategic consensus, communication and cooperation between the leadership of the two countries, with the aim of solidifying a shared future between China-Cambodia, and to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2023.
He added that China will continue to support Cambodia’s political stability and economic development.
For his part, DPM Prak Sokhonn said the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Cambodia is strong, and stressed that Cambodia will continue firmly adhering to the one-China policy. He remarked on the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI), which he said he believes will significantly contribute to global peace and development.
He said that Cambodia wishes to maintain high-level exchanges and strengthen strategic communication with China, which includes celebrating the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023 by accomplishing more cooperation achievements. He added that Cambodia opposes any external forces inciting geopolitical rivalry in the region, and expressed that Cambodia is willing to work with China to safeguard peace, stability and prosperity.
Both the Cambodian and Chinese sides pledged to advance the synergy between Cambodia's development strategy and China’s BRI, as well as to achieve further progress in related economic and infrastructure projects.
They agreed to continue cooperation in various fields, including pandemic response, agriculture, environmental protection, technology, and people-to-people exchange. The two sides also discussed China's relations with ASEAN, and the Chinese Foreign Minister expressed that China fully supports Cambodia’s role as the 2022 ASEAN Chair and is ready to work with the association while upholding ASEAN centrality, upholding the orientation of the win-win cooperation to implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and launch Version 3.0 of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, and upholding the principle of handling sensitive issues with care to maintain mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Chinese Foreign Minister stated that a remaining 15 million Covid-19 vaccines from China will be delivered to Cambodia in accordance with the Kingdom’s needs, and China will also provide other medical supplies to aid in the fight against Covid-19 at an early time, will expand Cambodian rice exports to China, and will increase the number of direct flights between the two countries.
During the meeting, the two sides further exchanged views on issues related to Myanmar, the South China Sea and the LMC.
