To summarize the work progress of the China-Cambodia Environmental Cooperation Center in 2021 and make the work arrangements for 2022, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) of China and the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Cambodia jointly held the Fourth Meeting of the Steering Committee of the China-Cambodia Environmental Cooperation Center Preparatory Office online on November 17th, 2021. H. E Sao Sopheap, Secretary of State of the MOE of the Kingdom of Cambodia , H.E Heng Nareth, Under Secretary of State of MOE of the Kingdom of Cambodia, and 10 officials from various departments of MOE attended the meeting. The Chinese delegation included Li Yonghong, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of MEE, Zhou Jun, Director of Asian and African Affairs division, the International Cooperation Department of MEE, Yang Min, Deputy Director of the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and some other participants. The meeting was hosted by Tang Yandong, the Division Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of MEE.

Yang Min introduced the work progress from RCEES side. China-Cambodia Joint Laboratory for Water and Environment was established in 2019, with 26 sets of equipment including atomic absorption spectrometer, atomic fluorescence spectrometer, and ion chromatography, etc., being handed over to MOE of Cambodia. The agreement of donating equipment to the Cambodian Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of Cambodia had been signed at the Cambodian Embassy in China a few days ago, and 22 sets of drinking water monitoring equipment will be sent out within this year. Besides, the first seven-parameter online water quality monitoring station has been working for three years, providing abundant water quality data of Mekong River. For making full use of these instruments, RCEES will conduct comprehensive cooperation with the Cambodia side in personnel training, talent education and standards’ setting. At the same time, RCEES is ready to respond to the requests of MOE. 

Sopheap expressed his sincere appreciation to China for its continuous support and assistance to Cambodia’s environmental protection. At the same time, he also wishes to continue actively participating in the various plans of the “Green Belt and Road Initiative” and expand China-Cambodia cooperation in areas such as environmental protection, climate change, and biodiversity conservation to realize the common goals and interests. At the same time, he expressed the hope that China can offer technical support on the hot issues of pollution in Cambodia’s Industrial Development Zone. Zhou Jun figured out that, since the cooperation agreement was signed between the two ministries in 2018, fruitful results have been achieved in promoting the construction of low-carbon demonstration areas, pilot demonstration of applicable technologies, personnel capacity building, and joint research. Moreover, he hopes that through the efforts of both sides, the construction of the China-Cambodia Environmental Cooperation Center can be completed in 2022. In his conclusion speech, Li Yonghong pointed out that both sides should act quickly to improve the operation mechanism, formulate development plans, and build an efficient cooperation scheme. 

Since signing the cooperation agreement with the International Cooperation and Exchange Center of MEE in September 2020, this is the second time for RCEES to participate in the steering committee meeting of the preparatory office of the China-Cambodia Environmental Cooperation Center. In the future, RCEES will take the construction of the China-Cambodia Environmental Cooperation Center as an opportunity to steadily promote cooperation and research with Cambodia side in the field of ecological environment, with a special focus on capability building and the issues associated with water pollution control and drinking water safety. 

Deputy Director of RCEES Yang Min delivered a speech

Sub-venue at the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange Center of MEE

Sub-venue at Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Cambodia

Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Cambodia H. E Sao Sopheap 

Office of International Cooperation, RCEES, CAS

CAS-TWAS Centre of Excellence for Water and Environment