China’s Xi pledges to establish security partnership with Cambodia

BEIJING, June 26 (Reuters) – China is willing to establish a security partnership with Cambodia, President Xi Jinping said during a meeting with Cambodian Senate president Hun Sen in Beijing on Friday.

Xi said the international and regional situation was undergoing “complex and profound changes” and China and Cambodia should work together to bring greater stability to regional peace and development, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.

Here are other details of their meeting:

• Xi said China has always considered Cambodia a priority in neighborhood diplomacy, and Beijing firmly supports Cambodia in safeguarding national sovereignty and security.

• He called on both sides to raise the basis of strategic mutual trust to “a new dimension”.

• Xi also praised Cambodia’s efforts to prevent telecommunications and online fraud, and vowed to work with Cambodia to eliminate what he called the “tumor” of such fraud.

• Beijing had previously said that Hun Sen would be in China between June 25-27 for an official “goodwill” visit.

• China and Cambodia held their first meeting within the scope of the “2+2” Strategic Dialogue Mechanism in April, bringing together the foreign and defense ministers to discuss political and security ties.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Ryan Woo, ​editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)