China’s TCM team accomplishes anti-COVID mission in Cambodia

A farewell and award ceremony for China's traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) anti-COVID team in Cambodia was held at the country's Ministry of Health on May 15, 2023. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian and Cambodian Minister of Health Mam Bunheng attended the event.

Wang said that the first group of China-aided TCM anti-COVID team to Cambodia, also the first national TCM medical team sent overseas by the Chinese government, was about to return home with great honors. They arrived in Cambodia in March 2022, and have since served local Cambodian and Chinese people with their full heart and achieved great results in their work throughout their 14-month stay, according to Wang. He lauded them as brave warriors in white, messengers of the iron-clad friendship between China and Cambodia, and practitioners of building a community of health for all.

On May 5, the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency. But the spirit of mutual assistance and sharing weal and woe between China and Cambodia will always remain in the hearts of the people of the two countries, Wang said.

Looking forward, he said he is confident that medical workers of both countries will continue to jointly build a China-Cambodia community of health under the “Diamond Hexagon” cooperation framework, promote people-to-people connectivity with more fruitful cooperation results, and further benefit the people of both countries.

On behalf of the Cambodian government, Bunheng extended his appreciation to the Chinese government and people for their long-term support and assistance, especially their all-round anti-pandemic assistance, which included vaccines, medical equipment and supplies, and medical teams. He paid tribute to the Chinese TCM experts who travelled far from their homeland and families to fulfill their noble humanitarian mission in Cambodia.

He noted that during his country's fight against the pandemic, the Chinese medical team brought the effective clinical experiences of TCM and achieved good results. They provided medical services to over 16,000 patients, brought advanced medical technology to the local community, and gained widespread praise from all walks of life in Cambodia, he said. He expressed his belief that under the guidance of the two heads of state, the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and their people will continue to thrive.