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Interview: Closer ASEAN-China ties crucial to economic development, regional peace, stability: Cambodia senate president

Xinhua, June 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Cambodia's Senate President Samdech Say Chhum said that building closer ASEAN-China relations is of the utmost importance in boosting economic development and maintaining peace and stability in the region.

ASEAN and China are indispensable partners, he said in a recent interview with Xinhua, stressing that "The progress of ASEAN is intrinsically linked to China's contribution and support."

He hailed ASEAN and China for having worked together actively to ensure peace, stability and security in the region.

"China and ASEAN are key actors that will continue to play a complementary role to each other in order to bring development in all fields into the future," he added.

Say Chhum, who is also a vice president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, said China and ASEAN are good neighbors, good friends and good partners.

"I'm very happy and satisfied with the fruitful cooperation and with mutual benefits provided from the frameworks of ASEAN-China, ASEAN+3, ASEAN-China Free Trade Zone, and the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation," he said.

According to the senate president, China continues to stand as the first and largest trading partner of ASEAN since 2009, with the two-way trade volume worth 500 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 and expected to reach 1 trillion U.S. dollars by 2020.

The two economies have also targeted boosting bilateral investment to 150 billion U.S. dollars by 2020, he said. Endit