Phnom Penh (FN), Dec. 18 – Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin reaffirmed China's continued support for Cambodia in developing infrastructure projects, highlighting that any attempt to discredit or smear China-Cambodia cooperation will be futile.

The ambassador posted on his official social media on 17 December 2024, following recent claims circulating from some media outlets and opposition politicians abroad, alleging that China has frozen lending to Cambodia.

In response to this misinformation, Wang Wenbin underscored, “Chinese assistance to Cambodia has been fruitful with new projects making progress. China will continue its firm support to Cambodia for developing infrastructure projects that serve the national economy and people's livelihoods. Any attempt to discredit or smear China-Cambodia cooperation will be futile.”

On 15 December 2024, Meas Soksensan, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, dismissed the claim.

Meas Soksensan underlined that the relationship between Cambodia and China remains strong and continues to grow through investment and various ongoing cooperative initiatives. He added that numerous projects between the two countries are actively being reviewed and signed under cooperation frameworks, grant financing agreements, and planned concessional financing initiatives.

As of the third quarter of 2024, Cambodia’s total public debt stood at USD 11.78 billion, with China being the largest lender, providing approximately USD 4 billion, equivalent to 34 per cent of Cambodia’s total public debt.

To date, China has significantly contributed to Cambodia’s infrastructure development, with investments exceeding USD 3 billion. These efforts have resulted in the construction of nearly 4,000 kilometres of roads and 16 major bridges, spanning a combined length of over 14,000 metres.
=FRESH NEWS