Opening Speech from The Department of International Cooperation, Science & Technology, MWR

   ---Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
   Good morning!
   Pleased to know that 2006 Seminars on "Water Resources Planning & Management" and "Power System Planning & Analysis" are being held for Cambodia today, and the Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology under the Ministry of Water Resources would like to extend its congratulations, and a heartfelt welcome to Cambodian officials and experts from power and water sectors for attending these 2 seminars.
   China and Cambodia have long been friendly from generation to generation, and two governments and peoples have enhanced their profound friendship during the long history of cooperation and exchange. In recent years, the mutually benefited interaction of two nations becomes more frequent day by day, the bilateral trade continues to increase, and in 2005 the trade volume amounts to 560 million US dollars more.
   In the fields of water resources and electric power, the cooperation between 2 governments has never been interrupted. In last December, the Minister of Water Resources, His Excellency Mr. Wang Shucheng paid a visit to the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia and held an official meeting there, and both Parties had signed a MOU on cooperating in the field of water resources. This visit thus enhanced the scientific, technical and economic cooperation between 2 countries in the water resources management and the sustainable water resources utilization. Our government and concerned water resources departments are also taking an active part in the management and development of Mekong River Basin, and they are playing an important role in the economic and technical cooperation in Great Mekong Sub-region Cooperation (GMS). As one of the important windows of the Ministry of Water Resources for international cooperation in water resources, Hangzhou Regional Center (Asia-pacific) for Small Hydro Power has successfully hosted over 40 international training workshops on SHP since it was set up 25 years ago, among which, many engineers were from the water sector and the power sector of Cambodia. Through other channels, the concerned water resources or power departments of both nations are continuously strengthening their long-term cooperative relations in the energy field.
   China is vast in space and rich in water resources. After the New China is founded, Chinese government has built a huge number of large and medium-sized water resources and hydropower projects on many big rivers, such as Gezhouba Hydropower Project, Xiaolangdi Multipurpose Project and Three Gorges Project etc., and these great projects have attracted widespread attention from China and abroad. In recent years, regarding the water conservancy, our country initiated a new thought on sustainable water management, with the priority given to harmonizing the people and the nature. Great achievements have been made in China for small hydropower development, construction and management, with fruitful experience accumulated, and now the number and the scale of small hydropower are leading the first in the world.
   Therefore, all these successful experience and good practices can lay a foundation for the mutual exchange between China and Cambodia, and we are also expecting to learn the practicable experience in the development of water resources and electric power from Cambodia. These two seminars held right here, just provide a platform for both Parties to extensively and intensively exchange ideas, so that two sides can further strengthen the cooperation in infrastructure facility construction and development of water resources.
   Finally, wish a full success to two seminars in advance!

   The Department of International Cooperation,
Science and Technology, MWR

November 24, 2006