MGR Online — China has said that its arms and military equipment cooperation with Cambodia is not aimed at any third country and is unrelated to the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that Beijing maintains routine military equipment cooperation with both Cambodia and Thailand, and emphasized that China is a friendly neighbour to both countries.
"China maintains candid communication with both Cambodia and Thailand on this matter, and both countries are clear about this," Guo Jiakun said.
He added that China supports dialogue between the two Southeast Asian neighbours and hopes that both countries will resolve the border dispute peacefully through consultation.
Earlier, President Xi Jinping had called on Cambodia and Thailand to consolidate the ceasefire and rebuild trust through negotiations, during talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet in Shanghai in July, when the Cambodian leader attended the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and a high-level conference on artificial intelligence governance.
Chinese media reports stated that President Xi Jinping said China supports the efforts of both sides to resolve the dispute through dialogue and that China is ready to play a positive role.
Guo Jiakun reiterated that Beijing has been encouraging Cambodia and Thailand to reach a ceasefire agreement and to resume sustained contact, pledging that China will continue to play a constructive role.
