US ambassador Patrick Murphy praised the growth of the Kingdom’s digital sector and expressed hope of expanding cooperation between the two countries in the sector. Cambodia has a high rate of mobile phone users.

Murphy’s comments were made during a meeting with Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tram Iv Tek on Wednesday to discuss the strengthening of cooperation in Cambodia’s digital sector.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the ministry said Murphy also expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the ministry and the US-Asean Business Council (USABC), as well as his hope to have a representative office of the council in Cambodia in the future.

In welcoming Murphy, Iv Tek said: “His presence in the Kingdom of Cambodia will continue to strengthen the existing cooperation and relations between the two countries”.

Meanwhile, Murphy said through a Facebook post that the two parties “discussed Cambodia’s emerging communications and technology sectors, as well as the importance of promoting the rule of law, privacy, governance, and internet freedom [and] a healthy digital ecosystem [which] will attract investment”.

Ministry spokesman Meas Bo and US embassy spokeswoman Emily Zeeberg declined to provide further details of the meeting.

At a meeting with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) commander-in-chief Vong Pisen on Tuesday, Murphy promised to help train Cambodia’s blue helmet troops and other officers in the military sector.

The two also discussed continuing to cooperate in searching for the remains of US soldiers who went missing in Cambodia.