Cambodia and China have signed an agreement to establish exchange programs for students and professors between the under-construction University of Kratie and Guangxi University.

Ngy Laymithuna, rector of the University of Kratie, said construction of the university was 70 per cent complete and expected to be completed in early 2017.

An effort to recruit professors and lecturers was already underway, with student recruitment to begin in late 2017. “We are starting with a small number of students,” he said.

The university, which will provide education in modern agriculture, foreign languages and rural engineering, is being funded with about $10 million from the Chinese government and about $2.2 million from the Kratie Foundation for Higher Education, led by former deputy prime minster Keat Chhon, who also founded the public university, he said.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Cheng Hong Bo said the agreement was part of the continued strong relationship between both countries.

Ministry of Education spokesman Ros Salin said the university would fill a gap in the northeast part of the country and help meet needs, such as those related to climate change.