China keeps pressure on Cambodia to target cross-border fraud and trafficking
Last Updated on January 17, 2026 8:10 pm
By Zhao Ziwen
Beijing is urging Phnom Penh to broaden its crackdown on Cambodia’s online fraud industry, keeping up pressure following the arrest and extradition to China of alleged fraud kingpin Chen Zhi.
In a meeting with Phnom Penh’s interior and foreign ministers, Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin said criminal acts of online fraud, illegal detention and related transnational crimes “posed a serious obstacle” to deepening cooperation between the two countries.
“Recent incidents involving Chinese nationals going missing or disappearing in Cambodia have drawn China’s close attention,” a Chinese foreign ministry statement on Saturday quoted Wang as saying.
“The frequent occurrence of such cases runs counter to the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia,” Wang told Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and his interior counterpart, Sar Sokha.
Chen, the Cambodian-Chinese founder and chairman of Prince Group, was sent back to China in a joint operation, accused of a range of illegal activity, including opening a casino, fraud, illegal operations and concealing criminal proceeds.
His arrest followed months of cooperation by Chinese and Cambodian authorities and is part of broader regional efforts to dismantle scam operations.
Source :SCMP