China donated $300,000 toward improvements to the Cambodian police force and internal security, officials said Monday.
Interior Ministry Secretary of State Em Sam An said he signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese Deputy Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei, who was part of a delegation visiting Cambodia for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“I signed the agreement to get $300,000 from China on Sunday. With this donation, the Ministry of Interior will use it to reform the national police and all police equipment,” Em Sam An said, adding that the agreement also covered anti-terrorism, anti-narcotics and international crime cooperation.
Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak said the money would go into the ministry’s budget and buy police equipment from China itself.
He declined to release the text of the MOU to reporters but said it also included promises of cooperation in the fight against human trafficking and weapons smuggling.
“We did not get any equipment from China during the discussions, this money is only a donation, and we will use this budget to buy what equipment we want,” Khieu Sopheak said.
Qian Hai, spokesman of the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, confirmed the MOU was signed but said he knew little about the matter before referring further questions to the Interior Ministry.
(Additional reporting by Isabelle Roughol)
