Wang Yi: China hopes to jointly safeguard regional peace with Cambodia

China hopes to strengthen coordination with Cambodia and jointly safeguard regional peace, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said while meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea on Friday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said China is ready to promote mutual beneficial cooperation and share development opportunities with Cambodia.

He said China is willing to advance the building of the Industrial Development Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor and explore the potential of a water conservancy project.

China is ready to encourage more Chinese-funded enterprises to invest in Cambodia and share experiences of building a special economic zone, he said.

Both sides should take advantage of the China-Cambodia People-to-People Exchange Year 2024 to consolidate the public foundation of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future, he said.

Wang added that China looks forward to working with regional countries, including Cambodia, to rise above external disruption and safeguard the common and legitimate interests of regional countries.

Sok Chenda Sophea said Cambodia firmly adheres to the one-China principle and supports China's efforts to safeguard its core interests.

Cambodia is ready to promote pragmatic cooperation with China, he said, adding that his country will facilitate a favorable environment for Chinese companies to invest in Cambodia.

Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in agriculture, infrastructure construction, connectivity, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, special economic zones and human resources development.

They also agreed to deepen people-to-people cooperation in fields including education, tourism, youth and vocational training.