Hun Sen and Li Keqiang (Photo : Getty Images)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen promised the Cambodian people that China gave assurances it will grant greater access to its markets for Cambodia's agricultural products in the face of a drought severely affecting the agriculture sector.
Hun Sen last week led a group of Cambodian delegates and private sector representatives to the 13th ASEAN-China Expo and the First Cambodia-China Trade and Investment Forum in Nanning city in China's Guangxi province.
He said China will import 200,000 metric tons of rice annually from Cambodia starting 2017, or double the current volume. Hun Sen and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang reached the agreement on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos last week.
The Cambodian government in a statement said a number of other projects was also agreed upon. Among these is for China to provide assistance to an irrigation system at the Vaiko River in Svay Rieng province and to rehabilitate National Road 51 that links national roads 4 and 5 to the west of Phnom Penh.
"It is my mission to ensure that domestic goods, especially agricultural products, can be exported to China in greater quantities," said Hun Sen.
"I just completed my three-day trip to China and arrived back in Phnom Penh ... This is the assurance that I have received (from the Chinese)."
Also last week, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in Phnom Penh between the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
The MoU will contribute further to enhancing trade and investment relations between the two countries. It covers areas of cooperation such as exchange of information, trade promotion activities, exchange of visits, experience sharing and capacity building.
As part of the deal, CCPIT will encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Cambodia and to assist Cambodian companies wishing to do businesses in China.
