China is most important economic, trade partner of Asian countries: Cambodian FM

PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said Wednesday that China is the most important economic and trade partner for countries in Asia.

Sokhonn made the remarks at the annual conference of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, which was attended by the ministry's leaders and officials, and heads of Cambodia's overseas missions, among others.

He said that due to high and stable economic growth for decades, China has kept pace with the United States in almost all sectors.

"China's economic influence in many parts of the world is broad and growing constantly. China is the most important partner in terms of economics and trade for almost all of the countries in Asia," Sokhonn said.

The Cambodian top diplomat also highlighted China's contributions to the world through its initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Global Development Initiative (GDI) and the Global Security Initiative (GSI).

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said the BRI has provided a lot of tangible benefits to all participating countries, and the GDI and GSI are essential for building a more just and fair global governance system.

"The BRI is becoming the new engine of global economic growth in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era, while the GDI and the GSI are crucial to ensuring global peace and sustainable development for all, and to efforts towards a community with a shared future for mankind," he told Xinhua.