People visit the Huawei booth at a digital technology expo in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on March 11, 2024. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

The 2024 China-Cambodia Digital Economy Cooperation Forum was convened here in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Monday, exploring ways to boost stronger digital economy cooperation between the two countries.

In an opening speech, Cambodian Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth said the forum was vital to further promoting cooperation between Cambodia and China, especially in the fields of technology, innovation, and digital economy.

"For Cambodia, the development of the digital economy is considered an important driver in the process of economic development," he told the forum with approximately 250 participants.

Pornmoniroth, who is also a Cambodian deputy prime minister, said the development of digital technology is one of the top priorities in the Cambodian government's Pentagonal Strategy Phase 1 and that digital technology will help Cambodia achieve its vision of becoming a high-income country by 2050.

"In recent years, digital technology has been rapidly developed, becoming a new stand for supporting and ensuring economic resilience," he said.

"The digital technology has spurred new innovations that contribute to value added creation, productivity increase, and work efficiency, as well as become a catalyst for global trade and economic connectivity," he added.

Pornmoniroth said Cambodia and China have been working closely to promote digital economy and that the Southeast Asian country has collaborated with Alibaba to boost e-commerce and with UnionPay International and Ant International's Alipay+ to bolster cross-border QR code payments.

At the event, the Digital Economy Professional Association of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia was launched.

Pornmoniroth hopes that the association will play a leading role in promoting digital innovations, producing digital talents, and enhancing the use of digital technology.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin praised Cambodia for its rapid development of digital economy, and was amazed by the significant rise of mobile payments with smartphones.

He was pleased to see that China-Cambodia digital economy cooperation has progressed well, saying that China will continue to help Cambodia achieve the goal of 100 percent high-speed Internet coverage in urban areas and 70 percent coverage in rural areas by 2025.

"Chinese companies in Cambodia have fully utilized their own technological advantages to promote emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud technology, and mobile payments in Cambodia, helping the kingdom improve its digital level and promote digital transformation," he said.

Lin Shiqiang, president of the China Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, said China Unicom, Huawei and other companies have played a crucial role in constructing Cambodia-China submarine cable, providing strong support for the deep integration and connectivity of the digital economy of the two countries.

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said China has been a great supporter of digitalization of Cambodia, gradually transforming Cambodia's present system into digitalization.

"China has a policy. They are sharing their wealth and their technology with countries and with their friends like Cambodia," he told Xinhua.