In a move to deepen bilateral ties, Her Excellency Dr. Rathchavy Soeung, the Cambodian Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China, paid a courtesy call to His Excellency Dr. Abu Bakarr Karim, the Sierra Leonean Ambassador, at the Sierra Leone Embassy in Beijing.
Ambassador Karim welcomed the opportunity to enhance the relationship between the two nations, which have maintained diplomatic relations since 2010. He expressed optimism that their cooperation could advance beyond ambassadorial exchanges to more substantive partnerships.
Highlighting Sierra Leone’s significant investment potential, Ambassador Karim emphasized the country’s vast deposits of natural resources ripe for investment and industrialization. He also detailed opportunities in agriculture, noting it is the nation’s largest employer. With rice being Sierra Leone’s staple food, Ambassador Karim pointed to Cambodia’s reputation as a leading rice producer as a natural area for collaboration. He shared President Julius Maada Bio’s flagship agricultural initiative, which aims to achieve national self-sufficiency in food production, and stressed that stronger cooperation could facilitate valuable people-to-people exchanges and allow Sierra Leone to benefit from Cambodia’s agricultural expertise.
In response, Ambassador Soeung thanked her counterpart for the warm reception. She underscored the importance of exploring concrete opportunities through exchange programs, fact-finding missions, and feasibility studies to harness untapped potential and build stronger ties.
Concluding the meeting, Ambassador Karim highlighted Sierra Leone’s growing international profile, noting that President Bio recently chaired a United Nations Security Council meeting, addressed the G20 Summit, and currently serves as Chairman of ECOWAS and the Committee of Ten (C10).
Credit
Information Department Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone, People’s Republic of China
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Wednesday, 26th November 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
