On April 8, 2013, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Great Hall of the People.
PHNOM PENH, 11 April 2013 — China has pledged another US$548 million (S$680 million) in aid to Cambodia for infrastructure and irrigation systems, extending
assistance that some critics say has bought it Cambodia’s diplomatic
support.
Agreements covering US$500 million in soft loans and
US$48 million in grants were signed when Cambodian Prime Minister Hun
Sen visited China and met Premier Li Keqiang over the weekend, Commerce
Minister Cham Prasidh said at a briefing yesterday.
“This is a big number, as Hun Sen has said, and will be used
to improve infrastructure,” Mr Cham said, adding that it would help
build 400km of new roads a year over several years.
He also said
Mr Hun Sen had thanked former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao for the 2,000km
of roads and seven bridges across rivers that had been built in
Cambodia with Chinese aid money during his 10 years in office.
In
return, Cambodia had reiterated its diplomatic support for China and a
“one China” policy that opposes any form of independence for Taiwan, a
self-ruled island that China considers its own. REUTERS
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