Cambodian PM meets with Chinese foreign minister, defense minister

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defense Minister Dong Jun on Wednesday here in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, vowing to further deepen bilateral ties and cooperation.

Wang and Dong are in Cambodia for the first meeting between foreign ministers and defense ministers of China and Cambodia under the "2+2" strategic dialogue mechanism.

Hun Manet said Cambodia firmly adheres to a friendly policy towards China and resolutely upholds the one-China principle.

He said Cambodia looks forward to close high-level exchanges with China, expanding institutional dialogues, and deepening practical cooperation in areas such as clean energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and talent cultivation.

He added that Cambodia welcomes Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia and resolutely combats online gambling and telecom fraud, and is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in this regard.

The prime minister said Cambodia is willing to closely coordinate and cooperate with China on multilateral platforms such as the United Nations to jointly safeguard multilateralism.

For his part, Wang said that in the face of a tense and chaotic external environment, China and Cambodia need to strengthen solidarity and cooperation more than ever before.

He said that China will continue to deepen strategic mutual trust, promote all-round cooperation, and contribute to the development, revitalization, and long-term stability of both countries.

Wang added that both sides should maintain high-level exchanges, jointly promote the construction of the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor," and help Cambodia enhance its capacity for independent development.

Both sides must resolutely crack down upon and completely eradicate cross-border online gambling and telecom fraud, he said, adding that the two sides should firmly support each other in international multilateral affairs and work together to uphold fairness and justice.

Meanwhile, Dong briefed on the cooperation between the defense ministries of China and Cambodia.

During the meeting, Hun Manet briefed on the situation regarding the Cambodia-Thailand border conflict and expressed his hope that China would play a greater role in advancing peace talks.

Wang said that China is willing to continue to build more platforms for the resumption of exchanges and direct dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.