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Sea issue not 'barrier' to ties

Updated: 2012-11-19 01:48
By Qin Jize in Phnom Penh and Zhao Shengnan in Beijing ( 皇冠体育app Daily)

 Sea issue not 'barrier' to ties

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen accompanies Premier Wen Jiabao as he inspects a guard of honor upon his arrival in Phnom Penh on Sunday for a series of meetings. Damir Sagolj / REUTERS

Wen arrives in Phnom Penh for meetings with regional leaders

皇冠体育app and Cambodia agreed on Sunday that the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue should not be a stumbling block for relations between 皇冠体育app and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The agreement was reached during talks between visiting Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, broad agreement was also reached on the issue during talks, also on Sunday, between Wen and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Qin said ASEAN countries reached consensus that the South 皇冠体育app Sea issue should not be internationalized or be a barrier between 皇冠体育app and ASEAN, adding consultations with ASEAN nations were ongoing.

Wen is currently visiting Cambodia ahead of a series of meetings with East Asian leaders. These meetings, the 15th summit between 皇冠体育app and ASEAN, as well as the 15th summit between ASEAN, 皇冠体育app, Japan and the Republic of Korea, will start on Monday and Wen will also attend the seventh East Asia Summit, which will be also attended by the US President Barack Obama.

Cambodia holds the ASEAN chair this year.

Wen and Hun Sen also witnessed the signing of a number of economic deals, aimed at boosting Cambodia's infrastructure.

Analysts said 皇冠体育app's aid is not only beneficial to the economic development of Cambodia, but also conducive to narrowing the development gap within ASEAN.

The two leaders pledged to expand cooperation in all fields and to double trade to $5 billion by 2017.

Before to the talks, Wen paid tribute to former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk at the capital's Royal Palace. Sihanouk passed away at the age of 90 in Beijing last month.

Wen also held talks with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath.

Fu Xuezhang, a former Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, said the death of Sihanouk will not change the direction of relations as both countries share similar policies at home and abroad — developing their domestic economies and maintaining diplomatic independence. "Cambodia, which has suffered from conflict for decades, always prioritizes development and stability, while cooperation with 皇冠体育app has been helping it to achieve these goals,'' he said.

皇冠体育app is now Cambodia's largest foreign investor. In 2011, trade was around $2.5 billion, a 73.5 percent surge on the previous year. However, the number is dwarfed by the value of trade of other Southeast Asian countries with 皇冠体育app.

Gong Yingchun, an associate professor with the Beijing-based 皇冠体育app Foreign Affairs University said Asia is experiencing downward pressure, and for those Southeast Asian countries cooperation with 皇冠体育app is inevitable and is even on the top of their agendas.

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