Cambodia, New Zealand vow to deepen cooperation

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (Nov. 29,2025) — Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet met Friday with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters in Phnom Penh, with both sides pledging to strengthen political and economic ties.

The talks took place at the Peace Palace during Peters’ official visit. He praised Cambodia’s “remarkable progress” and described relations between the two countries as “excellent.”

Peters said New Zealand remained a longstanding partner and planned to expand cooperation. He thanked Cambodia for supporting stronger ASEAN-New Zealand ties, including the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership announced at the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia in October.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet welcomed the delegation and expressed gratitude for New Zealand’s backing of Cambodia’s peace process and socio-economic development since the 1990s.

He noted progress from the two countries’ third round of Political Consultations in August and called for the mechanism to continue regularly, saying it would broaden cooperation between governments, the private sector and the public.

The prime minister also highlighted the opening of a Cambodia Chamber of Commerce office in New Zealand to support investment and expand trade.

Both sides discussed cooperation in trade, investment, education, agriculture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, as well as coordination in regional and international forums.

Before the meeting concluded, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet briefed Peters on Cambodia’s border issues with Thailand and reiterated his government’s commitment to resolving disputes peacefully in line with bilateral agreements and international law.