Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a large development assistance package for Cambodia on Wednesday (Nov 9), oversaw the signing of 18 agreements on aid and cooperation, ranging from road and bridge construction and agricultural trade to education and health projects, and attended the inauguration of a highway constructed with Chinese support.

Li arrived Tuesday for a six-day visit pegged to the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which Cambodia is chairing this year. He is to take part in a series of meetings with Southeast Asian and East Asian leaders.

He also is making a state visit to Cambodia, reflecting the close ties between the two countries. China is a major investor and aid donor for Cambodia, which is Beijing’s closest ally in Southeast Asia.

China will provide 200 million yuan (US$27.6 million) to help improve Cambodians' quality of life and also pledged to continue supporting the restoration of Cambodia’s cultural heritage, increase the number of Cambodian students studying in China, assist in demining activities and help organise next year’s Southeast Asia Games in Phnom Penh, the capital.


Full article:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/ch ... ia-3058106

That's it then, the Chinese are here for good.

For a cool $28M, not bad.
It’s never free money.

Gazzy wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:33 am That's it then, the Chinese are here for good.

Damn right. They should have stayed away and not trudged over in the 13th century.

Gazzy wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:33 am That's it then, the Chinese are here for good.

They own and control Cambodia.

cabron wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 10:32 am

Gazzy wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 8:33 am That's it then, the Chinese are here for good.

They own and control Cambodia.

it's regional politics, just look at inner European aid or US (Panama, Costa Rica etc)

France could have had a much bigger economical footprint here, but they decide(d) not to..

China is like the last one to blame here, it's just smart..

Cambodia-China Bilateral Relations Revisited

Cambodia News (Phnom Penh): On 9 November 2022, Prime Minister of the Peoples’ Republic of China, Lee Ke Qiang began his visit to Cambodia by laying a wreath at the Independence Monument and paying homage to the late King Father’s statue in Phnom Penh before meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo. HE at the Peace Palace. PM Lee KeQiang arrived into Cambodia on the night of 8 November 2022 at the invitation of Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo HE.
During this visit, Samdech Techo HE and Mr. Ly Ker Chheang will co-chair the inauguration ceremony of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway.

PM Lee KeQiang was warmly welcomed by PM HE at the Peace Palace before an official meeting was held there where nearly 20 agreements were signed between the two sides. During the meeting, both parties exchanged reports on progress with diplomatic relationships between the two countries in which the following were expressed.

A Successful Bilateral relationship
Cambodia and China have been in partnership for about 64 years since 19 July 1958. Through this high-level relationship, both countries have established many agreements on cooperation in politics, economy and people-to-people contacts. Trade between China and Cambodia has during this time reached more than USD 11 billion in 2021 and nearly USD 9 billion in the first nine months of 2022. The two countries have also established free trade agreements which have entered into force since January 2022. The two countries have set a trade target of USD 15 billion by 2025.
China has been a huge market for Cambodia and the number one importer of Cambodian rice for the last four years. In 2020, China has imported nearly 300,000 tons of Cambodian rice, in 2021 more than 300,000 tons, and in the first nine months of 2022, more than 200,000 tons.

China is also a top investor in Cambodia in which 2020 saw Chinese investment in Cambodia rose to more than USD 1.6 billion, USD 2.4 billion in 2021 and more than USD 1.5 billion in the first nine months of 2022.

China is also a country that has contributed to building human resources in Cambodia. From the 2018-2019 academic year to the 2022-2023 academic year, China provides scholarships to a total of 778 Cambodian students. China has also announced an increase in the number of scholarships by about 500 a year for five years from 2022 to 2027.

China has also contributed a lot of aid and interest-free loans to help develop Cambodia since 2001. As of 30 September 2022, China provided more than $ 2 billion in interest-free loans and assistance to Cambodia, the report said. From 2001 to September 30, 2022, China provided more than $ 5 billion in loans.

China is also a major contributor to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and an indispensable support to helping Cambodia prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that, a total of nearly 42 million doses of vaccines were received from Cambodia from China, amounting to another USD 13.3 million in aid from China while USD 28.5 million of vaccines were bought from China.
- NKDNews

Doc67 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 10, 2022 1:19 pm
Your choice is:

China, the second largest economy (soon #1) and run by a dictator for 10 years (and now set for another 5+) and delighted by your friendship and the stability of your rule;

Or the U.S. who will lecture you on democracy, human rights, inclusivity and diversity etc. and run by the likes of Trump or Biden or whatever dross comes next?

It's not a difficult choice.

Yes, sir. This is correct.

This article discusses how even the Vietnamese are cozying up to China rather than trying to deal with that Uncle Sam guy:

China-Vietnam in warm, new communist embrace
Vietnamese leader Trong’s visit to Beijing put cooperation ahead of conflict and sent a clear signal to democracy-promoting US

https://asiatimes.com/2022/11/china-vie ... t-embrace/