Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen will visit China from June 25th to 27th, in a trip that comes as Phnom Penh seeks to deepen political, security and tourism ties with Beijing.
Hun Sen, who also chairs the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, is expected to use the visit to reinforce Cambodia’s long-standing relationship with China, one of the country’s closest diplomatic and security partners.
The trip follows the launch of Cambodia’s four-month visa-free trial for Chinese citizens on June 15th. The scheme runs until October 15th and allows Chinese nationals to enter Cambodia without a visa for stays of up to 14 days, with multiple entries permitted during the pilot period.
At the same time, Cambodia-China ties have been shaped by growing law-enforcement cooperation against online scam networks and transnational fraud. Cambodia has stepped up action against scam compounds, many of which have involved Chinese nationals and China-linked criminal groups.
In January, Cambodian authorities extradited Prince Group founder Chen Zhi to China. Chen was separately indicted in the United States on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges over alleged forced-labour scam compounds in Cambodia. US authorities accused the network of running cryptocurrency investment fraud schemes that stole billions of dollars from victims in the United States and elsewhere.
The issue is likely to remain a key area of Cambodia-China cooperation alongside broader political, economic and tourism ties.
