Cambodia, China reaffirm economic cooperation

Cambodia, China reaffirm economic cooperation

Vongsey Vissoth, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, highlights the long history of relations between the two nations during a meeting with Chinese Embassy officials

Cambodia and China have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding bilateral economic cooperation, with a renewed focus on trade, investment, and development partnerships following a leadership transition at the Chinese Embassy’s economic and commercial office in Phnom Penh.

The commitment was reiterated during a meeting on Thursday at the Office of the Council of Ministers (OCM), where Vongsey Vissoth, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister, Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers, received Zhong Jie, who is concluding her diplomatic mission in Cambodia, and Xue Dong, the newly appointed Minister Counsellor.

During the meeting, Vissoth expressed appreciation for Zhong Jie’s contributions to strengthening Cambodia–China cooperation throughout her diplomatic tenure in the Kingdom.

He also warmly welcomed Xue Dong to his new post and expressed confidence that he would continue to deepen bilateral cooperation and reinforce the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

Vissoth highlighted the long history of Cambodia–China relations, noting that the partnership has been built, strengthened, expanded, and nurtured over several decades by leaders of both nations.

“The success of cooperation between the two countries is based on mutual trust, reflected in growing trade, investment, and official development assistance (ODA), with a focus on practical outcomes,” he said.

He added that Cambodia’s socio-economic progress over the past two decades could not be separated from China’s close support and cooperation.

For her part, Zhong expressed deep appreciation for the support and close collaboration provided by the Royal Government of Cambodia during her diplomatic mission. She praised the achievements made jointly by Cambodia and China in trade, investment, infrastructure, and development assistance.

She also expressed confidence that under the leadership of the Cambodian government, continued support from Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Vissoth, and sustained efforts by all stakeholders during Xue Dong’s tenure, bilateral relations and cooperation would advance to an even higher level.

On the occasion, Xue said he was honoured to take up his diplomatic post in Cambodia and praised the country’s rapid progress and development compared with what he had witnessed more than two decades ago.

He reaffirmed his commitment to further promoting economic cooperation, trade, investment, and other priority sectors between the two countries, while maintaining close collaboration with Cambodian institutions to achieve stronger outcomes.

Separately, on Friday, Dith Tina, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, also received Zhong and Xue at the ministry.

During the meeting, the Cambodian and Chinese sides highlighted efforts to strengthen and expand cooperation through trade, investment, and infrastructure development. Particular emphasis was placed on increasing agri-trade volumes by promoting Cambodia’s potential agricultural products to the Chinese market, advancing human resource development, and supporting the establishment of the National Sericulture Laboratory, which is expected to generate broad benefits for the agricultural sector.

At the same time, Xue reaffirmed his commitment to further promoting economic and agricultural trade cooperation between the two countries, and maintaining close collaboration with Cambodian institutions to achieve stronger outcomes and deliver mutual benefits for both nations.

According to data from the General Department of Customs and Excise, China remained Cambodia’s largest trading partner in the first quarter (Q1) of the year, with bilateral trade reaching $5.16 billion during the January–March 2026 period, up 26.8 percent year-on-year.

khmertimeskh