Leaders from the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), and the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) convened a trilateral summit on the afternoon of February 6th at the historic January 7th Palace in Phnom Penh. The high-level meeting focused on strengthening comprehensive ties between the three neighboring nations.
The summit was co-chaired by Samdech Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian People’s Party; Mr. To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam; and Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. Their delegations included the Prime Ministers and National Assembly leaders from all three countries, alongside various other senior party officials, underscoring the significance of the gathering.
During the discussions, Samdech Hun Sen extended a warm welcome to the visiting leaders, emphasizing the importance of their presence in Cambodia for this crucial tripartite summit. He articulated that the meeting served as a pivotal opportunity to further expand cooperation, not only at the trilateral party level but also within the broader framework of the three respective governments. The overarching goal is to deepen the traditional friendship that historically binds these neighboring states and ensure its continued development.
All three party leaders unanimously agreed to enhance cooperation between their parties and governments. Key areas identified for expanded collaboration included diplomatic and political relations, the defense sector, and crucially, economic and trade relations.
In the realm of economy and trade, the leaders urged their governments to redouble efforts to boost and expand mutual trade volumes. The discussions highlighted that Cambodia and Vietnam achieved a significant trade volume of approximately $11 billion in 2025, with an ambitious target set to increase this to $20 billion in the near future. While trade between Cambodia and Laos currently stands at a lower volume, the senior leaders of both nations acknowledged the substantial untapped potential for significant growth in their bilateral commerce.
Another central theme of the summit was the importance of fostering cooperation for future generations and the youth of all three parties. The leaders underscored the necessity of ensuring that younger generations continue the tradition of high-level engagement, maintaining strong relationships, and ensuring the enduring continuation of such summits. This commitment aims to consistently explore new avenues for expanding friendship within the framework of their neighboring relations. To this end, the parties agreed to expand and strengthen reciprocal visits among top leaders and youth successors, actively encouraging joint training initiatives to cultivate vibrant and engaged future party leadership.
Beyond inter-party cooperation, the leaders also committed to enhancing trilateral relations (specifically between Cambodia and Vietnam, and Cambodia and Laos) to further develop traditional border cooperation and friendship. Border safety and peace were identified as paramount factors. The leaders commended the collective efforts made by the three countries in maintaining excellent border relations and pledged to continue working together to combat cross-border crime, thereby ensuring the security and sustained peace along their shared frontiers.
