Attendees of the fourth Cambodia-China high-level think tank forum have hailed the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries and presented their ideas on promoting bilateral cultural exchanges for the construction of a community with a shared future.
Co-hosted by the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the two-day forum was convened in Phnom Penh on Monday and in the cultural province of Siem Reap on Tuesday.
"This forum is an important diplomatic effort, where we give scholars, experts and decision-makers from both countries an opportunity to engage and share thoughts and experiences on issues related to Cambodia-China bilateral relations, including politics, economics, trade and people-to-people relations," said Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia of the RAC.
The forum is held every two years, rotating between Beijing and Phnom Penh to boost bilateral exchanges.
On the first day of the forum, the opening ceremony was followed by two seminars focused on regional and global cooperation, as well as Cambodia's strong support for and active participation in China's global development and security initiatives. Another one was held with the focus on agricultural, industrial and trade cooperation.
Sok Touch, president of the RAC, recalled that Cambodia and China agreed in 2023 to develop a "Diamond Cooperation Framework" with six priority areas, including political cooperation, production capacity and quality, agriculture, energy, security and people-to-people exchanges.
He said collaboration and discussions involving scholars and relevant government ministries from both countries are essential to identify mutual benefits and address challenges.
"Today, we have invited scholars for discussions in an effort to identify advantages for both nations. We have invited representatives of the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture, to find out what Cambodia lacks in readily exporting goods to China. We support and encourage each other as we develop a special economic zone in Sihanoukville, a deep-water port, and agriculture. If we don't study one another, can we resolve these issues? We cannot. So, we must work together to solve these issues," he said.
Zhang Guanzi, secretary-general of the National High-end Think Tank Council under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Cambodia has actively cooperated with and responded positively to the initiatives proposed by China.
"Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative, which has received widespread support from most countries. The Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative proposed by China have also seen good cooperation, responses, and implementation in Cambodia. We have witnessed many specific measures and plans being implemented in Cambodia, and have seen many positive effects, such as construction of the Sihanoukville Port, as well as the planned Fish and Rice Corridor and the Industrial Corridor. The implementation of these specific projects has played a significant role in advancing both the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative," said Zhang.
Besides the 2013 Belt and Road Initiative, Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative in 2022.
The China-Cambodia Think Tank High-level Forum has been held three times before 2025 -- in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Think tank forum attendees hail in-depth Cambodia-China cooperation
