Foreign minister Sok Chenda Sophea and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi hold a bilateral meeting in Thailand on August 15. Foreign ministry
China and Cambodia’s top diplomats have reiterated their pledge to collaborate closely with all Mekong nations to enhance the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) framework and create a shared future for the region. They noted that the shared future will be characterised by “peace, prosperity, and sustainable development”.
The pledges were made by Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China’s Central Committee, during an August 15 bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Ninth Mekong-Lancang Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
“The two ministers highly valued the strong development in bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in all areas. Wang congratulated Cambodia on the commencement of the construction of the Funan Techo Canal and affirmed China’s support for the project.
“Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working closely with all Mekong countries to strengthen the MLC and build a shared future,” said the Kingdom’s foreign ministry, in an August 15 press release.
It added that the two sides’ dialogue during the meeting was productive, and noted that they also exchanged views on regional and international issues of common concern and interest.
Ek Bunly, a researcher at the Cambodian Centre for Regional Studies (CCRS), told The Post on August 16 that cooperation between China and all the Mekong countries, including Cambodia, is both an opportunity and a necessity.
He explained that the MLC has become China’s modus operandi to demonstrate to the Mekong nations that Beijing is an actor that is willing to work with the members of the MLC to jointly build a future based on peace and prosperity. He noted that this contradicts the Anglo-Saxon narrative that China is an aggressive expansionist.
Bunly added that this is a necessity, because with the rising impact of climate change and rapid human activities that could damage the sustainability of the Mekong River in the long run, it is absolutely critical for the Mekong countries to actively and frequently get together to ensure the viability of this body of water.
“Keep in mind, that all of the members of the LMC – except China, are members of ASEAN. This means that good cooperation with China through the MLC grants Beijing an opportunity to become a vital player in the bloc’s development.
“As a recent survey by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute showed, China currently possesses a slight upper hand as the most influential power in Southeast Asia, hence, it is unlikely that Beijing would let this rare opportunity degrade and slide. In contrast, it will utilise this mini-lateral cooperation to ensure the bloc will view China as its number one influential partner instead of other actors,” he said.
Bunly noted that what remains to be seen is how China will use this modus operandi to remain the region’s number one and how this model could sustain the longevity of the Mekong River, which Cambodia is heavily dependent on.
