China welcomes more like-minded countries to join the Group of Friends of Global Governance to jointly advance the reform and improvement of global governance, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday.
Lin made the remarks in response to a media query about the official launch of the Group of Friends of Global Governance Vienna Chapter at the United Nations Office in Vienna, which was announced by China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna on Tuesday.
"Following the group’s launch in New York last December and in Geneva in February 2026, China has now established another Group of Friends for Global Governance under the auspices of the United Nations. In less than five months, the Group of Friends for Global Governance has grown from scratch and taken root in three key UN hubs --New York, Geneva, and Vienna. Its membership has been expanding, and its influence and cohesion have continued to grow," he said.
"China looks forward to the accession of more like-minded countries to the Group of Friends for Global Governance. Together, we can bolster the authority and role of the United Nations and make joint contributions to advancing the reform and improvement of global governance," Lin said.
China welcomes more countries to join Group of Friends of Global Governance: FM spokesman
China welcomes more countries to join Group of Friends of Global Governance: FM spokesman
Price hikes in Cambodia resulting from the global energy crisis have made local people's life more difficult.
Among Southeast Asian countries, Cambodia is the most severely affected by the fuel crisis triggered by the war in Iran.
It has neither domestic commercial oil production capability nor oil refinery, and even under normal conditions it has less than a month's supply of petrol, diesel, jet fuel, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
The vast majority of the country's tuk-tuks which run on LPG have faced soaring prices.
"The fares for the ride-hailing apps we work with don't increase. They don't adjust in line with the rising gas prices. It's very hard to make a living. Even affording three meals a day is difficult, it's sometimes not enough," said Nov Hout, an LPG tuk-tuk driver.
Hout said some drivers have already switched to electric vehicles to save LPG costs.
Meanwhile, the sharp rise in the LPG price has compelled many Cambodians to abandon modern cooking methods and revert to traditional practices.
"We have to use firewood for cooking for the time being. It's just not as convenient as cooking with gas, but we must save money because gas is so expensive," said Chea Yon, a resident on Cambodia's Silk Island.
Cambodia relies heavily on road transportation, and rising fuel costs are driving up the price of all sorts of goods.
Farmers are not only feeling the pinch of rising fertilizer costs, but also pressures from fuel costs.
"We need to use a machine to pump water for irrigation, which requires a lot of fuel. The other day when we dug up ginger, we didn't make a profit at all. In fact, we lost money because fuel prices are so high," said Ra Hong, a farmer in Phnom Penh.
Fuel price hikes in Cambodia make life harder for local people
