KAMPONG CHHNANG: The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and Commander of the Army, Gen. Hun Manet, has stated that the 5th Golden Dragon Maneuver military exercise, focused on security operations at major events and humanitarian relief by both the Cambodian and Chinese armies, is organized under the framework to build a common destiny between Cambodia and China. This framework was agreed upon by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting in Beijing in February 2023.
Gen. Hun Manet made this statement during the opening ceremony of the Golden Dragon Maneuver joint military exercise between the Cambodian and Chinese armies, held at the Gendarmerie Training Center in Kampong Chhnang province on Thursday, 23 March 2023.
The General said that 2023 was designated as the year of Cambodia-China friendship, with the two countries committed to promoting cooperation under a comprehensive strategic partnership and deepening the process of building a common destiny to safeguard the mutual interests of both peoples and nations.
He stressed that the organization of this military exercise responds to the objectives of the two countries' armies, including the need for cooperation to maintain security in the region.
The Cambodian and Chinese armies are expected to gain hands-on experience in a number of areas, including security operations at major events and humanitarian relief operations in response to various disasters, further promoting friendly relations and good cooperation between the two countries, peoples and armies.
It should be noted that the Golden Dragon Maneuver joint-military exercise has been conducted between Cambodia and China since 2016. The exercise has so far been conducted four times: in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Plans to conduct the military exercise were suspended in 2017 due to an increased crackdown on drugs and the commune council elections in Cambodia, while the annual exercise was also put on hold in 2021 and 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
