Cambodia & China Strengthen Partnership in Fight Against Online Gambling

Summary

• China And Cambodia agreed to boost their cooperation in fighting cross-border gambling
• The agreement also tackles other crimes such as human trafficking and telecom fraud
• China signed a similar agreement with Vietnam in early November

China and Cambodia have intensified their efforts to combat online gambling with both nations recently agreeing to enhance their “law enforcement cooperation“. The agreement would enable closer cooperation between both countries in terms of capacity building and information exchanges, a joint statement said.

China, Cambodia Intensify Crackdown on Online Gambling

The agreement was signed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen during the former’s visit to Cambodia to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit which took place from November 10-13, 2022.

As part of the agreement, China and Cambodia’s law enforcement agencies will work together more closely in fighting major cross-border crimes such as human trafficking, telecom frau and online gambling.

The Chinese and Cambodian authorities have been implementing crackdowns on illegal gambling operations in their respective jurisdictions in recent months, resulting in multiple arrests. China in particular has been cooperating with other countries mostly in the Asia Pacific region in going after Chinese nationals involved in cross-border gambling.

In August 2022, She Zhijiang, the chairman of Hong Kong-based Yatai Group, was arrested in Thailand on allegations of running a massive online gambling operation in China. He had been on China’s Most Wanted list for 10 years.

In Cambodia, authorities have so far arrested dozens of individuals in its fight against illegal gambling. The most recent arrests took place in September when a total of 253 people were captured in multiple raids throughout the country, some of them were Chinese nationals.

The Cambodian government ramped up efforts to crack down on all forms of illegal gambling, including online gambling, after casino-related crimes became rampant in the country. Cambodia is home to a huge casino industry. As of October 2022, 87 out of 171 casinos have renewed their license to operate in the country.

China-Vietnam Agreement

In early November, China also entered into a similar agreement with Vietnam, with both nations agreeing to promote bilateral cooperation against terrorism, drug crime, human trafficking, high-tech crime, and cross-border gambling, among others. The agreement was signed during an official visit to China by Nguyen Phu Trong, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Under China’s amended criminal code, facilitating online gambling or assisting other people in such activity is illegal. The new laws have been in effect since March 1, 2021.