The bilateral relationship between Cambodia and China has been strengthened and deepened remarkably since the establishment of diplomatic ties, Cambodia's foreign minister has said in a written statement exclusively for Xinhua.

 

Hor Namhong, also deputy prime minister, said the two countries regularly exchanged visits at all levels, including frequent high-level visits.

 

"Both sides have a mechanism of consultation and cooperation between the two ministries of foreign affairs for international issues," he said.

 

He reiterated the country's consistent support for the one-China policy and the principle of "one country, two systems."

 

Meanwhile, China had given assistance to Cambodia in different forms, he said.

 

"Between 2000 and 2006, a total of 312 million yuan (around US$39 million) of grant aid has been provided to Cambodia, covering major sectors such as agriculture, health, elections and infrastructure projects," Namhong said.

 

"For the same period, a total of 760 million yuan (around US$95 million) of soft loans had been granted to Cambodia for infrastructure projects such as roads, bridges, government buildings, telecommunications networks and a hydro dam," he said.

 

Both sides pledged to increase the annual volume of trade to US$1 billion by 2010, he said.

 

In the tourism sector, the Chinese formed a significant portion of foreign visitors to Cambodia, he added.

 

Cambodia, a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will take part in a commemorative summit on Oct. 30-31 in Nanning, South China, to mark the 15th anniversary of establishing dialogue relations between ASEAN and China.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)