The Chinese government has granted scholarships to 72 Cambodian students to pursue bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at various universities in China.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo presented the scholarships on Friday in the presence of Cambodian Education Secretary of State Yuok Ngoy.

The awardees will study economics, commerce, information and communication technologies, engineering, agriculture, political science, international relations and law.

The Chinese ambassador said China has always paid attention to assisting Cambodia in human resources development, which is a key element for socioeconomic development.

"China traditionally has provided 70 scholarships to Cambodian students each year," she said. "I'm confident that the awardees will be valuable human resources for Cambodia when they complete their studies."

Yuok Ngoy said that since 1998, China has given 557 scholarships to Cambodian students and officials with which to pursue higher education in China.

"I'd like to express profound thanks to China for granting the scholarships, which are essential to developing human resources for Cambodia," he said. "The scholarships clearly show China is paying attention to developing the education sector in Cambodia."