Cambodian PM Hun Sen in China but barred from Wuhan
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen delivers a statement to journalists on the government measures against the SARS-like virus in Phnom Penh on January 30, 2020. – Cambodia’s health ministry reported the country’s first case of the virus on January 27, a 60-year-old man who arrived from Wuhan and is now stable, as the death toll from China’s viral epidemic on January 30 leapt to 170, with 7,892 confirmed infections. (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen arrived in China on Wednesday afternoon but the Chinese government has declined his request to visit Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
Xinhua News reported that Hun Sen was greeted at the Beijing airport by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
The Khmer Times reported that in a Facebook post earlier today, Hun Sen said the Chinese government has arranged his visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leaders to reaffirm his stance not to evacuate Cambodian officials and students from China and learn the efforts in which Chinese government has provided to Cambodian students in Wuhan.
“I have actually planned to leave South Korea for Wuhan city in order to visit our 23 Cambodian students there,” he said. “But at 11 pm last night, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the Chinese side could not arrange my visit to Wuhan due to the severe outbreak of coronavirus and those students are not allowed to leave the city.”
Cambodia, which has a large community of expatriate Chinese people, reported its single case of the virus last week, a Chinese man who came with his family from Wuhan to the coastal city of Sihanoukville last month.
Last week, Hun Sen said the coronavirus was under control in Cambodia despite public fears.
