Cambodia, China deepen economic modernisation cooperation

Cambodia, China deepen economic modernisation cooperation

The move delivers practical strategies and actionable lessons that serve to strengthen the nation’s economic foundations, enhance public services, and support the Kingdom’s broader goals for long-term modernisation.

Cambodia and China Monday convened a seminar to exchange experience on industrial development, enterprise expansion, governance and public services, aiming to provide practical lessons to support the Kingdom’s economic growth and modernisation efforts.

The ‘International Seminar on China’s Development Model’ was chaired by Senior Minister in Charge of Special Mission and Chairman of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council Chhem Kieth Rethy, in Phnom Penh on Monday.

The seminar brought together Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin, five professors from the Institute of South-South Cooperation and Development (ISSCAD), a national-level research and training platform at Peking University, and around 400 leaders and civil servants from the Office of the Council of Ministers (OCM).

According to an OCM announcement, the seminar was organised to share the internal logic and practical implementation of Chinese-style modernisation and to link the experience to Cambodia’s development context.

The exchange was intended to provide practical insights and lessons to help Cambodia address development challenges, strengthen public service delivery, and improve the capacity of government institutions to support high-quality development, the statement added.

Addressing the seminar, the Senior Minister expressed appreciation for the cooperation between Cambodia and China, saying the initiative reflected the long-standing friendship between the two countries and their history of knowledge and cultural exchanges spanning over 13 centuries.

“The meeting between the delegations of Peking University and the Cambodian officials this morning is not just a normal diplomatic relationship, but a continuous strengthening of knowledge and research, which are key factors in building human resources for the future,” he said.

Kieth Rethy also expressed appreciation to ISSCAD for organising the seminar, describing it as a valuable platform for exchanging knowledge and learning from China’s development experience.

He said that the lessons and ideas shared through the seminar could provide useful inputs for Cambodia’s development while further strengthening cooperation among OCM, the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia and Peking University.

During his remarks, Wang said that Cambodia and China were ‘iron friends’ that trust and support each other in all circumstances. “Today’s workshop is the second workshop that has highlighted the exchange of experiences on governance between China and Cambodia,” he noted.

The Chinese Ambassador added that the exchange could help participants translate their learning into practical achievements in improving governance, promoting industrial modernisation and improving people’s living standards, thereby contributing to Cambodia’s socio-economic development.

At the seminar, Party Committee Secretary of the National School of Development and Economic Professor of ISSCAD Lei Xiaoyan said that ISSCAD was ready to promote long-term inter-institutional cooperation with OCM and relevant ministries and institutions in the future.

The seminar also provided more specific lessons on China’s experience in expanding the role of enterprises and improving social development outcomes, with professors from Peking University delivering two presentations.

Academic Director of MBA Programs and Assistant Dean of ISSCAD Deng Ziliang presented on ‘Policies and Practices of Chinese Enterprises Going Global’, focusing on the experience of Chinese enterprises expanding beyond the domestic market.

The second presentation on ‘China’s Early-Stage Experience in Improving Population Health amid Tight Resource Constraints’ was delivered by Assistant Professor of Economics in the National School of Development and ISSCAD, Xu Huayu.

The two topics provided different perspectives on China’s development experience, covering both enterprise expansion and improvements in social welfare under resource constraints.

In his official Facebook account, the Chinese Ambassador said that both China and Cambodia were committed to pursuing development paths suited to their respective national conditions.

“Over the past three decades, Cambodia has maintained overall peace and stability, achieved rapid economic growth that ranks among the top in ASEAN, and made historic accomplishments in exploring a development path suited to its own national conditions,” he said.

He added that China stood ready to strengthen mutual learning with Cambodia and join hands to achieve national rejuvenation, reflecting both countries’ commitment to shared development and stronger bilateral cooperation.

The seminar served not only as an exchange of development experience but also as a platform for strengthening institutional and human-resource cooperation between the two countries, with further exchanges expected to support Cambodia’s long-term economic and social development.

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