xi's moments
Home | Asia Pacific

Cambodia ties boosted by joint efforts

By ZHAO RUINAN | China Daily Global | Updated: 2021-07-29 09:56

An education staff receives a dose of China's Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 1, 2021. [Photo/Agencies]

China will continue to work with Cambodia to boost friendly exchanges and practical cooperation to a new level, said a senior official of the Communist Party of China on Wednesday. The official also called for joint efforts by think tanks in both countries to deepen communication and cooperation.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks via video conference in Beijing at the opening ceremony of the second Cambodia-China Think Tank High-Level Forum co-hosted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Academy of Cambodia.

Huang commended efforts made by both academies in strengthening bilateral cooperation and promoting people-to-people exchanges.

He said the long historical friendship has also been highlighted by the mutual support of the two countries in the face of the pandemic.

In the fight against COVID-19, China and Cambodia have stood through thick and thin together, and the joint pandemic fight clearly demonstrates the profound friendship between the two peoples, Huang said.

Bin Chhin, Cambodia's standing deputy prime minister and Cabinet minister, said the relations of the two countries have reached the best stage and highest level ever in terms of trade, tourism, and educational and cultural exchanges. The influx of Chinese businesses and people has also contributed greatly to Cambodia's development.

Leg up

China has helped Cambodia in fighting the pandemic by providing millions of vaccines, which has given Cambodia a leg up in its vaccination campaign, Bin Chhin said.

According to official figures, China had donated more than 2 million vaccines to Cambodia as of June.

Sok Touch, president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, also spoke highly of the cooperation between the two countries' think tanks, saying it charted a bright picture for the development of Sino-Cambodian ties.

The forum, first held in Cambodia in 2019, will contribute to the wisdom in promoting the countries' high-quality development, bridging communication and boosting mutual understanding of the peoples.

Xie Fuzhan, president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and Cambodia have great trade potential.

China has been Cambodia's largest trading partner and trade volume between the two countries in 2020 reached $9.56 billion despite the pandemic, increasing 1.4 percent year-on-year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

In the first five months of this year, the two countries saw a 25 percent year-on-year growth in bilateral trade, with a total volume of $3.9 billion.

In October 2020, China and Cambodia signed a free-trade agreement, a move seen as bringing relations of the two countries to a new level.

The agreement, the first of its kind in Cambodia, is a "new milestone", said Xie, adding it shows a clear stance in safeguarding trade and investment liberalization.

Global Edition
BACK TO THE TOP
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349