The agreements came after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, which included stops in Vietnam and Malaysia
China and Cambodia have agreed to build safe and stable supply chains and strengthen cooperation in transportation infrastructure, they said in a joint statement released by China’s Foreign Ministry.
The two countries also signed a deal to construct a major canal, which Cambodia hopes will transform its economic fortunes.
The agreements came after Chinese President Xi Jinping’s three-nation tour of Southeast Asia, which included stops in Vietnam and Malaysia.
The trip was part of Beijing’s effort to consolidate economic and trading ties with close neighbors.
“China supports Cambodia in building the Funan Techo Integrated Water Conservancy Project in accordance with the principles of feasibility and sustainability,” the joint statement said.
The canal project, which was previously estimated to cost $1.7 billion — nearly 4 percent of the country’s annual gross domestic product — and stretching 180 km, is now valued at $1.16 billion with a length of 151.6 km, the Cambodian government said in a separate statement.
The statement showed that it will be financed through a public-private partnership, with Cambodian investors holding a 51 percent stake and Chinese investors holding 49 percent.
China also commended Cambodia’s efforts in cracking down on illegal online gambling and telecom fraud in the joint statement, with the two countries agreeing to strengthen law enforcement cooperation further.
Before Xi’s visit, the Cambodian government said it had deported to China several “Chinese criminals,” including people from Taiwan, in a move that angered Taipei and was praised by Beijing.
The two countries also agreed to establish a ministerial dialogue between their foreign and defense ministers to facilitate coordination on major strategic issues.
Xi said the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia enjoys a profound history, a solid political foundation and a strong internal driving force, adding that no matter how the international situation changes, the two countries have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
Xi noted that at present, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, saying that deepening the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples.
China will, as always, support Cambodia in following a development path that suits its national conditions, support the Cambodian government’s successful governance of the country, and back Cambodia in playing a more important role in international and regional affairs, he added.
Xi called on both sides to take the building of an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era as a new starting point, build on the momentum, continue to implement a new action plan on building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future, strengthen unity and cooperation, and speed up the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.
He also urged the two sides to deepen political mutual trust at a higher level, expand mutually beneficial cooperation of higher quality, consolidate security guarantees of a higher level, carry out people-to-people and cultural exchanges at a higher frequency, and strengthen strategic coordination of higher standards, so as to bring greater benefits to the two peoples.
The Chinese president call for maximizing the role of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee, ensuring the strategic dialogues between the foreign and defense ministers of the two countries a success, strengthening exchanges through such channels as political parties and legislative bodies, jointly addressing risks and challenges, and safeguarding the common interests of both sides.
The Chinese side, Xi said, is ready to share opportunities and seek common development with Cambodia. He called on both sides to vigorously promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously enrich the “Diamond Hexagon” cooperation framework, so as to inject new impetus into their respective modernization efforts.
China, Xi said, encourages more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia, adding that it will open its mega-market to Cambodia and import more high-quality agricultural products from the country. The people of the two countries should enhance mutual understanding and friendly feelings for each other, and promote exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Cambodian civilizations, he added.
China will continue to offer government scholarships to Cambodia, support the establishment of a dialogue and exchange mechanism for youths between the two countries, and encourage more exchanges at the local level, as well as between media outlets and think tanks, so as to bring the people of the two countries closer and closer, he said.
He called on the two countries take stronger and more effective measures to resolutely crack down on online gambling and telecom fraud, and to maintain social stability and the normal order of exchanges among regional countries.
Xi said China and Cambodia, important forces in the Global South, should stick to the common values of peace, unity and cooperation. He called on both sides to oppose unilateral bullying, practice true multilateralism, firmly oppose bloc confrontation, strengthen coordination and cooperation within the frameworks of ASEAN and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation, and jointly safeguard hard-won regional peace and development, so as to contribute to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.
Xi arrived here earlier on Thursday for a state visit to Cambodia, the third leg of his three-nation Southeast Asia tour which have already taken him to Vietnam and Malaysia.
