30 years on, China-Asean relationship grows closer, stronger: Cambodian academics

Cambodian health officials inoculate people with the second dose of China's Sinopharm Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a pagoda in Phnom Penh on May 20, 2021. - AFP

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Three decades on, the relationship between China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has grown closer and stronger, bringing about numerous tangible benefits to both sides and their peoples, Cambodian academics said on Monday (June 7).

As 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the dialogue relations between China and Asean, Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said over the past three decades, China-Asean relationship has become "closer and stronger."