Cambodia, China to beef up intel info cooperation

General Vong Pisen (R), Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), during a meeting with Special Colonel Sheng Dazhi, the new Head of the Military Attaché Office of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to Cambodia. AKP

Cambodia reiterated its commitment to strengthening collaboration with China in sharing intelligence to counter potential provocations by extremists to prevent a colour revolution and criminal activities.The affirmation was made by General Vong Pisen, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), during a meeting with Special Colonel Sheng Dazhi, the new Head of the Military Attache Office of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to Cambodia, on Wednesday in Phnom Penh.

During the meeting, Gen Pisen explored the possibility of continued support from China in human resources training and the exchange of visits at all levels.

He also expressed gratitude towards the Chinese government for the continuous support in terms of resources and funding for Cambodia’s economic development, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gen Pisen recalled the assistance from China in the area of national defence, including training, infrastructure development at the Military Institute, modernisation of coastal and air defence systems, various types of heavy weaponry, and the construction of international standard shooting ranges at the RCAF training centre.

He also congratulated the Special Col Sheng on his new role in Cambodia, expressing his firm belief that the military attaché will bring significant diplomatic experience to strengthen and enhance the friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and China.

The Commander-in-Chief also urged the new military attaché to further enhance the planning for this year’s Golden Dragon military exercise, aiming to expand the scope of the exercise, deepen its content, and increase the number of participating troops and modern equipment compared to previous years, in line with the scale of cooperation between both armed forces.

Special Col Sheng, in response, highlighted the long-standing historical ties between Cambodia and China, noting that both nations boast a rich cultural heritage and have historically been peaceful, not invading each other nor allowing others to invade them, while also sharing experiences and mutual assistance.

The new attaché also confirmed the friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and China aimed at ensuring national security and the well-being of the peoples of both countries, contributing to a more active and robust strategic partnership and a solid “iron-clad” friendship that leads to building a prosperous community in the new era for the benefit of both nations.

On the same day, the Special Colonel also paid a separate courtesy call on General Tea Seiha, the Minister of National Defence, and many other Cambodian senior military officers.

Thong Solimo, Deputy Director of Information and Communication at the General Command and Spokesman for the RCAF, could not be reached for comment when contacted yesterday.

Pa Chanroeun, a social analyst and president of the Cambodian Centre for Democracy (CID), highlighted that while the exchange of knowledge among the officers between Cambodia and China remains important, there should also be also a focus on combatting transnational crime.

“Any cooperation and the sending over of Cambodian officials to gain experience and technical knowledge from China or any other countries is an essential cooperation,” he said. “But for the current context, I think they should be more focussed on transnational crimes such as human trafficking, online scams, and online gambling, which have been a shared global concern.”