China and Cambodia agree approach to South China Sea issue

China and Cambodia have agreed that the South China Sea issue should be properly handled by China and ASEAN countries, Vice-Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said in a briefing after a meeting between the governments of China and Cambodia on Thursday.

The Chinese and Cambodian governments held the third meeting of the China-Cambodia Inter-Governmental Coordination Committee in Beijing on Thursday.

The two governments confirmed that the South China Sea issue should be addressed through the "dual track approach", an approach where parties directly involved in the dispute address the issue through negotiation, said Liu.

Pointing out that "there shouldn't be any turmoil or conflict again in Southeast Asia", Liu said China will help Cambodia and other ASEAN countries to maintain peace in Southeast Asia and "make sure there is a peaceful and stable environment for China".

Also, the two countries will sign an inter-governmental document on cooperation in the Silk and Road Initiative, according to the vice-foreign minister.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi, who co-hosted the meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, said the bilateral relations have gained "significant development" in the past year, and he is willing to work with Hor Namhong and officials from China and Cambodia to push forward the China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.

Hor Namhong, also the Cambodian minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said that China is Cambodia's most important friend, and his country will firmly consolidate and deepen its traditional friendship with China.

The China-Cambodia Inter-Governmental Coordination Committee, which leaders of the two countries agreed in April 2013 to set up, "aims to press ahead with bilateral cooperation across the board and deal with major issues in cooperation in a coordinated way", said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first meeting of the committee was held in Beijing in January 2014, and the second was held in Phnom Penh in December 2014.