China to give Cambodia $600mn in grant aid – PM Hun Sen

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, making a four-day visit to China, said Tuesday that Beijing will provide his nation with nearly $600 million in grant aid as part of a three-year assistance fund. Hun Sen announced the aid from Cambodia’s most important political and economic ally on his Facebook page before any announcement by Beijing. He said the commitment was made by Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he met on Monday, AP reported. Hun Sen said the two countries also agreed to increase their bilateral trade to $10 billion by 2023 and Xi promised to buy 400,000 tons of rice from Cambodia in 2019. Two-way trade was about $6 billion in 2017. The agreements come as some Western countries are threatening to impose economic sanctions on Cambodia “for repressing democratic rights.”