On the afternoon of September 19, 2016, Minster Wan Gang of the Ministry of Science and Technology met with the visiting Cambodian delegation headed by Cham Prasidh, Senior Minister and Minister of Industry and Handicrafts. The two sides exchanged views on further pushing forward science and technology exchanges and cooperation between China and Cambodia.

Minister Wan Gang remarked that since the launch of the China-ASEAN Science and Technology Partnership Program, the two countries have undertaken important cooperation projects, including the China-Cambodia Joint Laboratory on Food Industry and the China-Cambodia Technology Transfer Center, and that the Cambodian side has sent a high-level delegation to attend the Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation in the past three consecutive years and has supported science and technology cooperation between China and ASEAN and between China and Cambodia. The Chinese side expressed the hope to maintain the long-standing relationship of friendly cooperation with the Cambodian side, actively implement the various existing projects, energetically encourage science and technology personnel exchanges and training between China and Cambodia, expand bilateral cooperation in measurement science, intellectual property rights, space technology applications and other fields and continuously push forward China-Cambodia science and technology cooperation to new heights.

Minister Cham Prasidh agreed with Minister Wan Gang and said that many science and technology fields in Cambodia are still at a starting stage at present but Cambodia has attached growing importance to the role of science and technology innovation in recent years. He remarked that China and Cambodia have a brotherly friendship between them and that the Cambodian side is willing to actively take part in the Belt & Road Initiative and expand cooperation in science and technology innovation with the Chinese side so as to help Cambodia to strengthen science and technology capacity building, drive social and economic development and further deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

Deputy Director General Chen Linhao of the Department of International Cooperation, Deputy Director General Tian Baoguo of the Department of Social Development and other officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology were also present at the meeting.