(Phnom Penh): Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defence Minister Dong Jun concluded their two-day official visit to Cambodia on Thursday (Apr. 23).

Defence Minister Dong Jun departed on the morning of April 23, while Foreign Minister Wang Yi left later in the day for Thailand.

The visit featured their participation in the inaugural Cambodia–China “2+2” Strategic Dialogue, a key platform bringing together the foreign and defence ministries of both countries.

Upon their arrival in Cambodia on 22 April 2026, the ministers engaged in a range of activities, including courtesy calls and discussions with prominent Cambodian officials. Notably, Minister Wang Yi met with Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Acting Head of State Hun Sen.

According to the Foreign Ministry’s press release dated 23 April 2026, the First Cambodia-China “2+2” Strategic Dialogue was convened on 22 April 2026 in Phnom Penh. The dialogue was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Defence Minister Tea Seiha on the Cambodian side; and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Defence Minister Dong Jun on the Chinese side.

The inaugural dialogue marked a significant milestone in Cambodia-China relations and reflected the shared commitment of both sides to strengthening strategic coordination and advancing the building of an All-Weather Cambodia-China Community with a Shared Future in the New Era,

Both sides noted with great satisfaction that the Cambodia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to advance with clarity, direction, and ambition, demonstrating increasing resilience and maturity. They reaffirmed the robust “ironclad friendship” between Cambodia and China, which is founded on mutual respect, mutual trust, and unwavering support for each other’s core interests. In this regard, Cambodia firmly supports the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as the four global initiatives proposed by His Excellency President Xi Jinping on development, security, civilization, and governance.

The dialogue reflected shared perspectives between the two countries across political, security, economic, regional, and international issues. In this regard, both sides emphasized the importance of maintaining high-level exchanges, strengthening institutional linkages, and enhancing coordination among their respective ministries and agencies.

Both sides agreed that the “2+2” mechanism will serve as a vital platform to deepen strategic communication, enhance policy coordination, and respond collectively to emerging challenges, in their respective countries, regionally and globally. The two sides further agreed to upgrade the “2+2” mechanism to a “3+3” format with the participation of the Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China, in response to the growing scope of bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international developments.

Looking ahead, Cambodia and China agreed to further deepen practical cooperation in both traditional and emerging areas, including digital transformation, green development, blue economy, connectivity, resilient supply chains, financial cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. In this context, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to advancing key cooperation frameworks, including the Diamond Cooperation Framework, the Industrial and Technological Corridor, and the Fish and Rice Corridor, which will continue to drive tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes for both countries.

The two sides reaffirmed their shared determination to further advance Cambodia-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing not only to the prosperity of both countries but also to peace, stability and development in the region and beyond.
=FRESH NEWS