Cambodia, Malaysia vow to further enhance ties, cooperation

Cambodia and Malaysia pledged on Thursday to further promote ties and cooperation in trade, investment, tourism and education for the benefits of the two countries and peoples. The commitment came after a meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and visiting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said it was his first visit to Cambodia to further expand bilateral relations and cooperation in economics, trade, investment, tourism and education. He promised to encourage more Malaysian investors to Cambodia for the fields of agriculture, rubber plantation, infrastructure development and energy. For his part, Hun Sen said it was vital to further deepen bilateral ties and cooperation for mutual benefits, saying that Cambodia wanted to see more Malaysian investors and called for them to consider investing in the rice sector since Cambodia has about 3.5 million tons of milled rice left over for exports this year. Malaysia is the third largest investor in Cambodia with the cumulative investment of around 2.62 billion U.S. dollars in banking, finance, tourism, and information technology, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia. Bilateral trade volume was valued at 420 million U.S. dollars last year. In the tourism sector, Cambodia attracted 130,700 Malaysians last year, up 12 percent year-on-year, said the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism. Muhyiddin arrived here on Wednesday for a three-day visit. During the stay, he is scheduled to meet separately with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Minister Sok An, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, and Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron. He is also scheduled to sign a memorandum of understanding on higher education between the two countries during the visit.