Cambodia reaffirmed its unwavering support for China on the issue of Taiwan, reiterating the Kingdom's continued endorsement of the one-China policy.
This position was shared with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his three-day visit to Cambodia, which concluded yesterday. A joint press release issued by the two governments highlighted this important development.
The press release states that Cambodia recognises that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China. It adds that the Kingdom considers Taiwan to be an "inalienable" part of Chinese territory.
Cambodia therefore wishes to make it clear that it opposes any attempt to use the Taiwan issue to interfere in China's internal affairs. It also wishes to make it clear that it opposes any form of 'Taiwan independence'. Furthermore, it strongly supports all efforts by the Chinese government to achieve national reunification. Finally, it will not develop any form of official relations with Taiwan.
The two countries will also work together to combat transnational crime, including online gambling, telecommunications fraud and drug trafficking. Furthermore, they will strengthen their defence cooperation and continue to hold joint training exercises to promote cooperation in areas such as medical services and logistics, personnel training and mine clearance.
In terms of development cooperation, the two sides pledged to continue their efforts to build a Cambodia-China community of common future, enrich the "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework and make positive progress in the construction of the Industrial and Technology Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor to bring tangible benefits to the two nations and their peoples.
With regard to security, China reaffirmed its support for the Kingdom's choice of a development path in line with its national conditions. They also reiterated their support for the Kingdom's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and expressed their firm opposition to any interference in Cambodia's internal affairs.
With regard to regional security, the statement said: "Both sides agreed that it would be in the interest of Cambodia and the international community to ensure the security of the region, and that it would be in the common interest of all countries in the region to safeguard the hard-won peace and stability and to promote development and prosperity in the region."
During his meeting with Senate President Hun Sen, Mr Wang expressed his hope that the Chinese leaders would continue to pay close attention to the Cambodian leaders, and that they considered the transition of leadership from the old generation to the young to be the right path for the Kingdom.
Wang expressed his hope that the friendship between Cambodia and China would continue to develop and that China would remain a reliable partner for Cambodia. He also encouraged the strengthening of cooperation with the new government and the paying of particular attention to relations between the two parties and the fight against colour revolutions.
