Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) depart for China to join the ten-day multinational maritime security exercises on November 11. FN
Wang Xiubin, Chinese commander of the Southern Theatre Command, has thanked Cambodia for sending its army personnel to attend the Aman Youyi 2023 multi-national military exercises with ASEAN, noting that the exercises had contributed to the deepening of Cambodia-China bilateral relations.
Wang met with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) commander-in-chief General Vong Pisen on November 20 in China, after the conclusion of the Aman Youyi-2023, or Peace and Friendship-2023 exercises, according to an RCAF social media post.
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The post said that during the meeting Pisen informed the Chinese side that Cambodia’s participation in the exercises would help the Kingdom’s military strengthen its relations with the Chinese army, and that the drills had encouraged and supported the efforts of the participating militaries uphold stability and peace in the region.
Xiubin thanked Cambodia for sending its forces to join the exercises in China. He believed that their participation clearly illustrated Cambodia’s support for the Chinese army in the Southern region.
“We look forward to continuing to deepen our cooperation,” he added.
The ten-day Aman Youyi 2023 multi-national military exercises on counter-terrorism and maritime security were from November 13-22, in China’s Zhanjiang city in Guangdong province.
The drills were hosted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, with the participation of UN representatives, as well as units of the armed forces of Laos, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, said on November 21 that the thanks from the Chinese commander were a positive sign of the two nation’s commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation.
He added that Cambodia had demonstrated a principle of multilateralism by attending the exercises, as the drills were not exclusively between China and Cambodia, but also several ASEAN member countries, with the support of the UN.
“Security and defence issues require multilateral cooperation frameworks from all countries in the region and the world. To date, Cambodia and China have signed several agreements to guarantee the security of their common interests, both traditional and non-traditional,” he continued.
He noted that by demonstrating their respective commitments to strengthening security cooperation, all participants in the exercises had shared experiences with one another and upheld the principles of multilateralism.
