Minister of Interior Sar Kheng's current visit to China will take bilateral relations to new heights, as the two sides agreed to train and exchange experiences between police officers, said a senior Chinese official.

Sar Kheng pays a three-day visit to China from April 28-30, according to his official Facebook page.

On April 28, the Cambodian delegation visited the People's Public Security University of China (PPSUC) in Beijing and the University Museum, it said.

The post said Sar Kheng was welcomed by Zeng Haiyan, secretary of the Party Committee of the PPSUC.

Haiyan emphasised that China and Cambodia have a long-standing friendship and the relationship between the two countries has set an example on the international stage.

“Thanks to Sar Kheng's visit, China and Cambodia relations will reach astounding new levels,” she said.

She noted that under the leadership of Sar Kheng, cooperation between the interior ministry and China's Ministry of Public Security in all areas of the suppression of crime, drug offences, human trafficking and online fraud, among others, are ballooning to massive proportions.

She said a delegation from the Police Academy of Cambodia has always attended international forums initiated by the university, and that it has also trained 100 Cambodian police officers in law enforcement and selected 11 Cambodian officers to study there each year.

Sar Kheng thanked Haiyan for her hospitality, recalling that the Police Academy of Cambodia was established only 20 years ago, which is a short period compared to that of the PPSUC, which dates back to 1948.

“The academy also has relationships with the police academies of some other countries to enhance the quality and capacity of our officers,” he added.

Sar Kheng also agreed on training and exchange of experiences through international forums between Cambodian and Chinese police officers as well as with those from other nations.

He also noted with satisfaction that the situation of human trafficking in Cambodia had significantly declined lately.

“More than 90 per cent of these crimes were committed by foreigners on Cambodian territory. They were deceived or enticed by their fellow countrymen. Based on the experiences with clampdown on this crime, good cooperation between countries involved is of prime importance,” he stated.