Fifth JCBC meeting to be held in Cambodia in 2026

Cambodia will host the Fifth Meeting of the Cambodia-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) in Cambodia in 2026.

The schedule was agreed upon during the Fourth JCBC Meeting, which was held on Tuesday and Wednesday in Manila, the Philippines.

Sok Chenda Sophea, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Enrique A Manalo, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, co-chaired the 4th JCBC meeting.

According to the Cambodian ministry, at the JCBC meeting, the two sides expressed deep satisfaction with progress in bilateral cooperation since the Third Meeting in 2021 and committed to further enhancing relations in multiple fields.

On political cooperation, both sides underscored the benefit of frequent exchanges of visits and engagements between their executive and legislative bodies. They recalled the strategic importance of two meetings between Mr Hun Manet and Philippines President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr over the past year.

In defence and security cooperation, the ministers applauded the productive Third Meeting of the Cambodia-Philippines Joint Defence Cooperation Committee last year and agreed to enhance information sharing and capacity building, as well as the existing good cooperation in fighting transnational crimes, particularly human trafficking.

On economic cooperation, the two sides acknowledged vast potential and opportunities and agreed to increase trade and investment by encouraging business-to-business contacts and trade fairs. They also discussed ways to boost trade in rice and other commodities and develop agricultural businesses.

On tourism and cultural exchanges, both sides noted with satisfaction increased tourism and agreed to jointly promote tourist destinations, establish more direct flights and finalise the implementation programme for the MoU on Tourism Cooperation for 2024-2028. They also agreed to expedite the renewal of the Agreement on Prevention of Looting and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property.

On Labour and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), the two sides agreed to renew the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in the labour sector and looked forward to the signing of an MoU on TVET cooperation.

The meeting held extensive deliberations in other fields, including health, information and communication technology, environment, connectivity, transport, housing, urban development and planning, civil service, and media and information.

The two ministers exchanged views on regional and international developments of common interest and concern.

They emphasised their shared resolve to contribute to global and regional peace, security, and stability and committed to continuing to strengthen coordination and support for each other in regional and international fora.

The meeting concluded with signing the Agreed Minutes of the Fourth JCBC Meeting.

Chenda Sophea paid an official visit to the Philippines at the invitation of his Philippine counterpart, Manalo. During the visit, he paid a courtesy call to the President of the Philippines. They exchanged views covering several areas, including increasing air connectivity, bilateral trade, investment, and tourism.

President Marcos Jr expressed his strong desire to forge stronger ties with Cambodia and looked forward to his next engagement with Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Sok Chenda Sophea also called on Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte. The two sides held cordial talks on enhancing ties between Cambodia and the Philippines and many aspects of bilateral cooperation.

Prior to this meeting, Chenda Sophea visited the Rizal Monument and laid a wreath in honour of the Philippine national hero José Rizal. AKP