China gives over 50,000 sets of military uniforms to Cambodia

The future look of Khmer soldiers with donated Chinese military uniforms?

Does the PLA soldier above remind you of these black-clad soldiers?

May 26, 2011

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) – The government of China on Thursday delivered 50,000 sets of military uniforms to Cambodia, signaling a closer defense cooperation between the two nations.

The hand-over ceremony was held at the Military Airport in Phnom Penh between Zhang Jianlin, Chinese military attach to Cambodia, and Lt. Gen. Sun Samnang, director general of Cambodia' s Defense Ministry's logistics and finance department, under the witness of the four-star general Moeung Samphan, a secretary of state for Cambodian Defense Ministry.

Speaking after the hand-over ceremony, Zhang Jianlin said that the donation of military uniforms was made after the meeting between Chinese President Hu Jintao and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in May last year in Shanghai.

China, Cambodia seek to strengthen military ties

BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China and Cambodia pledged to strengthen military ties when senior military officials from the two countries met here Tuesday.

Cambodia is China' s good neighbor, friend and partner, China' s Defense Minister Liang Guanglie told Pol Saroeun, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Liang said recent years have witnessed high-level contacts, a deepening of economic and trade cooperation, productive exchanges in science and technology, and sound growth in military relations between China and Cambodia.

Both countries have also supported each other on major issues concerning their respective core interests, Liang added.

China hopes to make joint efforts with Cambodia to consolidate their traditional friendship, promote reciprocal cooperation, and constantly enrich their comprehensive cooperative partnership, Liang said.

Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People' s Liberation Army (PLA) of China, also had talks with Pol Saroeun Tuesday.

Chen said China-Cambodia military relations have smoothly developed with pragmatic and meaningful cooperation in personnel training and the building of military schools and hospitals.

China is ready to work with Cambodia to further boost their military relations, Chen said.

Pol Saroeun said the Cambodian government attaches great importance to its relationship with China and will continue to adhere to the one-China policy.

The Cambodian armed forces would like to work with China to enhance cooperation in various fields, he added.

China gives Cambodia more patrol boats

PHNOM PENH, Oct 25 (Reuters) - China is giving Cambodia nine naval patrol boats to safeguard oil installations in the Gulf of Thailand, another sign of Beijing's deepening ties with the Southeast Asian nation, military officials said on Thursday.

"These boats will enable us to prevent maritime crimes such as terrorism, but also to protect natural resources within our sea territory," said General Nim Sovath, who attended a signing ceremony in the Chinese city of Guangzhou this week.

An army-run Cambodian TV channel heralded the deal as evidence of stronger military cooperation with China, which provided Phnom Penh with six naval patrol boats in 2005 to help combat people and drug smuggling.

Beijing followed up the next year with $600 million in aid and grants -- a sum equal to the annual amount given by Cambodia's traditional donors.

Cambodia is expected to take possession of the vessels, believed to be worth around $60 million, early next month.

Even though Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen spent much of his life fighting Pol Pot's Beijing-backed Khmer Rouge, he has worked hard in recent years to build ties with China as a counterweight to Vietnam, which lies between them.

The improved relationship also works well for Beijing, keen to negotiate access to friendly deep-sea ports in Southeast Asia, its main fuel gateway.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia's only such port, will be the processing centre for oil and natural gas expected to flow from its "Block A" chunk of the Gulf of Thailand by 2010. U.S. oil giant Chevron Corp is leading exploration drilling.