China and Cambodia hailed the traditional friendship between the two countries and agreed to enhance coordination in regional and international affairs with the full use of the intergovernmental coordinating mechanism.

The remarks were made in the talks between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, who is also the co-chair of the China-Cambodia intergovernmental coordinating committee in Phnom Penh on Monday.

Hailing the ironclad friendship and the China-Cambodia community of shared future, Wang said the bilateral friendship has been lifted to a higher level after the concerted fight against the pandemic.

China is willing to work with the Cambodian side to implement the important consensuses reached between leaders of the two countries and to continue ushering in a new chapter for the China-Cambodia community of shared future, said Wang.

The Chinese foreign minister called on both sides to maintain communication in a flexible way and work jointly to enhance the establishment of China-Cambodia intergovernmental coordinating mechanism to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields and comprehensively implement the building the China- Cambodia community of shared future.

He also urged the two sides to strengthen coordination in regional and international affairs to jointly defend the ASEAN-centered regional cooperative structure and prevent external intervention from forces outside the region to harm the regional and national common prosperity and development.

Read more:

China, Cambodia vow to boost cooperation in trade, regional stability, fighting COVID-19

Hor, for his part, thanked China for its great support in the country's fight against the pandemic and the economic recovery afterward.

Reiterating China's irreplaceable role in the national development of Cambodia, Hor said the country is ready to make full use of China-Cambodia intergovernmental coordinating mechanism and further advance the pragmatic cooperation between the two sides.

Cambodia supports China for accelerating the consultation of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea with ASEAN countries and its efforts to consolidate China-ASEAN relations to defend regional peace and stability jointly.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

(Cover: Cambodian people wait to receive the second dose of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 20, 2021. /CFP)