PHNOM PENH, Nov 11 (Bloomberg): China and Cambodia will deepen law enforcement cooperation to crack down on human trafficking, online gambling and telecommunications scams that have taken hold in the South-East Asian nation.
Cambodia has become a haven for cyber slavery crimes with traffickers originating from China drawing widespread attention from rights groups for luring victims from throughout Asia.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is in Cambodia for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) Summit, agreed with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to tackle the issue as the two nations enhance already deep security ties.
We will "advance the fight against human trafficking, online gambling, telecommunications fraud and related derivative vicious crimes, and strengthen cooperation in law enforcement capacity building and intelligence and information exchange,” the leaders said in a joint statement.
As China’s strongest supporter in South-East Asia, Cambodia is hosting the Asean Summit as this year’s rotating chair. In addition to tackling cyber crimes, the two sides also pledged to promote cooperation on infrastructure projects, trade, tourism and increase direct flights as Beijing seeks to advance its economic clout in the region.
Li said on Friday that ties with South-East Asia has strengthened despite the pandemic and the complex international landscape. He also said that Asean and China have advanced security cooperation and that Beijing supports "efforts to properly address matters” related to disputes in the South China Sea. - Bloomberg
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