简体中文
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was due to arrive in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Wednesday at the start of an official visit during which he will attend the second Lancang-Mekong River Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting.
Ahead of his trip, Premier Li hailed China-Cambodia ties and called for more efforts to strengthen the LMC regional cooperation mechanism.
In a published article, Li said this year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations and he hopes his visit will consolidate their traditional friendship and expand pragmatic cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a historic visit to Cambodia in October 2016 that opened a new era for the two countries to build a comprehensive strategic partnership, the premier said.
Official figures show China has been the biggest source of foreign investment for Cambodia. As of October 2017, China FDI to Cambodia stood at 12.57 billion US dollars, which accounts for 36.4 percent of the country's total foreign investment.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian ambassador to China Khek Caimealy Sysoda attend the launch ceremony of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) China Secretariat in Beijing, March 10, 2017.
The LMC mechanism was created in 2016, with the six member countries – China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam – along which the Mekong River runs.
Last year, the six countries confirmed the "3+5" mechanism of cooperation, referring to the three cooperation pillars – political and security issues, economic and sustainable development, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges – and the five key priority areas of connectivity, production capacity, cross-border economic cooperation, water resources, and agriculture and poverty reduction.
(CGTN)
