KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: On the afternoon of Monday, October 27, 2025, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, held a bilateral meeting with his Australian counterpart, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This important session allowed both leaders to review the significantly positive progress in bilateral relations that has rapidly advanced since their previous bilateral meeting in Melbourne in March 2024.

Section 1: Progress in Trade and Education

Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed high appreciation for the remarkable progress in cooperation between Cambodia and Australia, particularly in the economic and human resource sectors.

Trade Volume Surges

The Prime Minister highlighted the substantial increase in bilateral trade, which reached nearly $600 million USD in 2024. This impressive figure confirms the strengthening economic partnership and underscores new market opportunities between the two nations.

Scholarship Commitment Increased

As tangible evidence of Australia’s commitment to Cambodia’s human resource development, Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked the Australian Government for responding to his request by increasing the number of scholarships for Cambodian students from 50 to 62 for the 2025 academic year. This investment in education will be critical for building Cambodia’s future skilled workforce.

Section 2: Defense and Security Cooperation

In addition to economic and educational ties, the leaders noted the advancement of cooperation in the defense and security sectors, a crucial pillar of the bilateral relationship.

Specifically, Prime Minister Hun Manet noted the recent goodwill visit by the Australian Navy’s warship HMAS Ballarat, which docked at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and conducted a visit to the Ream Naval Base between October 10 and 15, 2025. This military exchange reflects growing mutual trust and increased capacity for joint exercises between the two countries’ armed forces.

Section 3: Australian Prime Minister’s Assessment

In response, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fully concurred with the Cambodian Prime Minister’s assessment of the robust relationship across the fields of trade, economy, security, defense, and people-to-people exchanges.

Shared Regional Challenges

The Australian Prime Minister recalled his three previous visits to Cambodia, highlighting Australia’s deep engagement with the country. He particularly noted Cambodia’s burgeoning potential in the tourism sector.

H.E. Albanese also highly praised Cambodia’s determined efforts to combat cybercrime and technology-based scams, which he acknowledged as significant challenges faced by all nations. Furthermore, the Australian Prime Minister welcomed the positive developments toward resolving the Cambodia-Thailand border dispute and commended the pioneering leadership shown by Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet in navigating this complex reconciliation process.

Conclusion

Finally, the two leaders agreed to continue strengthening and expanding Cambodia-Australia cooperation further, building upon a foundation of mutual trust and shared benefits for peace and prosperity in the region.

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