Interview: Summit to inject fresh impetus into China's ties with ASEAN: Cambodian official

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming ASEAN-China Summit will inject fresh vitality into China's ties with both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Cambodia, a Cambodian government official said.

Kao Kim Hourn, a minister attached to the prime minister of Cambodia, said ASEAN and China have elevated their ties to the high level of a comprehensive strategic partnership last year.

"It's important for ASEAN and China to take stock of the achievements and the progress, and to maintain the momentum so that we can further strengthen and enhance cooperation between ASEAN and China," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Kim Hourn will take over the post of ASEAN secretary general from January 2023.

He noted that the upcoming ASEAN-China Summit will give an opportunity for the leaders of ASEAN and China to chart the course in terms of cooperation between the two sides in security, combating transnational crime and free trade, among others.

Speaking of the Cambodia-China relations, he said the two countries have a very close relationship and have enjoyed good cooperation at both regional and global levels.

He said the Cambodia-China free trade agreement, which entered into force in January 2022, is essential to boosting the bilateral economic cooperation, stressing that Cambodia wants to see more export of its agricultural products such as rice, bananas and mangoes, among others, to the Chinese market.

"The status of cooperation between the two sides, I would say that it's a very close partner, meaning that we cooperate at many levels in many different sectors across the board," Kim Hourn said.

"The exchange of high-level visits is always an important contribution to the deepening and strengthening of the bilateral relationship between the two countries," he added.

According to agenda released by the Cambodian foreign ministry, the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related summits including the ASEAN-China Summit will be held in the Cambodian capital from Nov. 10 to 13.