Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday appealed for more Chinese investment in Cambodia and said he hoped the country of more than 1.3 billion would increase its imports of products from the Kingdom.

The premier, according to his Facebook page, made the remarks during a speech at the 13th ASEAN-China Expo in Nanning, capital of the Guangxi region. Hun Sen flew to the city in southern China on Saturday for three days of meetings and events, including the first Cambodia-China Trade Investment Forum.

The premier also met with China’s vice premier, Zhang Gaoli, and visited Cambodian students studying at a university in the city.

The premier had an official meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang at last week’s ASEAN summit in Laos. According to Cambodian state media, the Chinese official pledged cash to restore Angkor Wat temple and study potential restoration work for Preah Vihear temple.

He also said China would provide a loan to rehabilitate the Vai Ko irrigation system in Svay Rieng province and vowed to increase China’s import quota for Cambodian rice from 100,000 to 200,000 tonnes next year.