Cambodia Announces $100M in Aid

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) -- A Cambodian defense official says China has agreed to provide more than $100 million in military aid to the Southeast Asian nation, a close political ally.

Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Chhum Socheat said Tuesday that the aid for training, exercise and equipment was agreed upon over the weekend in a meeting between visiting Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and his Cambodian counterpart Tea Banh. Wei on Monday also met with Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Wei's five-day trip was undertaken to strengthen military ties and attend a China-Cambodia military exhibition. It concludes on Wednesday.

China is Cambodia's closest political ally and a major economic supporter, wooing it into its sphere of influence with millions of dollars in aid and investment over the past decade.

(KA)