Chinese military spokesperson describes China-Cambodia ties as steel like
Chinese military spokesman describes China-Cambodia ties as steel like for first time, according to a report in the Chinese state-run Global Times. It was the first time a senior Chinese official had used such a term in a move that will surely rattle the odd feather in Washington.
What did the Chinese actually say about their relationship with Cambodia?
Wu Qian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of National Defense, for the first time used “steel-like Cambodia” to describe the China-Cambodia friendship during a press conference that was held on Thursday. He further added that the Chinese and Cambodian armed forces are good brothers and good friends who help each other out.
Where does the term “China-Cambodia ties as steel like” come from?
Apparently it has been doing the rounds among Chinese netizens for quite some time. Cambodia and Pakistan were also the only two countries to receive
Chinese military COVID-19 vaccines, which has helped speed the mass vaccination of the country.
To read about vaccination in Cambodia click here.
Pakistan is further decried as “Iron Pakistan”, in contrast to “Steel-Like Cambodia”. The article further explains that this makes them like “China’s ironclad friends”. This can be seen as shorthand for best-buddies in the region.
Joint-Military exercises between China and Cambodia
Cambodia is officially a neutral country, but this does not mean they cannot have military jollies with whomever they like! Although some do dispute this analysis.
tThe Golden Dragon 2020 China-Cambodia joint training was held in Cambodia in March of last year. This represented the only live-fire exercise conducted by the Chinese military with foreign troops during since the beginning of the global pandemic.
To read about the Koh Rong Covid-19 outbreak click here
The Kingdom’s take on China-Cambodia ties as Steel Like
General Vong Pisen, commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, was reported as saying that “since the outbreak of the epidemic, it was the People’s Liberation Army of China that sent the first military medical expert team to Cambodia and supported them with numerous batches of anti-epidemic facilities and vaccines”.
Whatever your take on things, this surely proves that China-Cambodia’s “Steel Like” ties are here to stay.