Malaysia, Cambodia To Enhance Cooperation In Education, Investment And Digital Economy
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Cambodia have agreed to strengthen cooperation in areas that directly benefit the people, including trade and investment, manpower, education, agriculture, digital economy and tourism.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the matter was agreed upon during a discussion with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate President and former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Cambodia.
In the session held in conjunction with the 13th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Management and the 14th Conference of the Parties to AADMER, Ahmad Zahid also expressed his appreciation to Cambodia for the support and assistance provided to Malaysian investors in the country.
“Malaysian companies have invested significantly in key sectors such as telecommunications, banking and manufacturing, thus contributing not only to bilateral trade but also to the growth and prosperity of Cambodia’s domestic economy,” he said in a statement today.
He said trade between Malaysia and Cambodia continued to grow rapidly, reaching nearly US$750 million from January to August this year, an increase of 45 per cent compared to the same period last year.
“Both parties are confident that the value of bilateral trade will exceed US$1 billion by 2026.
“Malaysia remains one of the major investors in Cambodia, and we intend to expand cooperation in digital connectivity, renewable energy and the agro-food industry,” he said, adding that Malaysia and Cambodia are also exploring new areas of cooperation, particularly in the halal industry.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia can share its experience, certification expertise, Halal Industrial Park development and best practices to help Cambodia develop a strong and trusted halal ecosystem within the framework of the establishment of the ASEAN Halal Council.
In terms of manpower and education, he said Malaysia will continue to ensure the welfare of Cambodian workers is safeguarded while expanding opportunities for Cambodian teachers and lecturers in Malaysia, particularly in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
“Both parties also agreed to strengthen agricultural trade, particularly in palm oil and rice, to enhance the regional food security sector and we also discussed efforts to expand cooperation in the fields of health and medical tourism, especially ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” he said.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia and Cambodia also reaffirmed their shared aspirations to foster regional peace and stability by welcoming progress in finalising the establishment of the ASEAN Operations Team (AOT).
The ASEAN Operations Team is a regional mechanism to strengthen cooperation in security aspects ahead of the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
“ASEAN, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has played an important role in facilitating the implementation of the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand.
“The establishment of the AOT will be the main mechanism to ensure that the ceasefire agreement is implemented as agreed by both countries,” he said.
As the ASEAN 2025 Chairman, he said Malaysia would continue to work closely with Cambodia and other member states to strengthen ASEAN's unity, credibility and leading role in promoting peace and humanitarian cooperation.
-- BERNAMA
