February 27, 2023
PHNOM PENH – China’s ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian said China and Cambodia will push for closer cooperation in the education sector as the two countries observe the “China-Cambodia Friendship Year” in 2023.
Wang attended the graduation ceremony for Bachelor’s degree graduates at the Confucius Institute at CamTech University on February 24, along with Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron, and Neak Oknha Pung Kheav Se, president of the Cambodia-China Alliance.
He said that when Prime Minister Hun Sen visited China earlier this month, he and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed to continue to build a community of common destiny and establish the “diamond” cooperation framework.
“China is happy to cooperate with Cambodia in all forms, taking this year’s ‘China-Cambodia Friendship Year’ as the occasion to push for cooperation in the education sector to go to another level,” Wang said.
He also urged students to learn the Chinese language and to study vocational skills to join in the community of common destiny, which he regarded as something akin to an “express train”.
According to the Chinese embassy’s statement, education minister Hang Chuon Naron praised China for its long-term support for Cambodia’s education sector. He also praised the Cambodia-China Alliance for facilitating cultural exchanges and economic cooperation between China and Cambodia.
The Confucius Institute at CamTech University is the third of its kind in Cambodia, established to build cooperation between China and Cambodia and to provide Chinese language classes along with vocational education courses.