Cambodia and China on Tuesday signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements that will pave the way for the exports of fresh mangoes from Cambodia to China.

The protocol was inked between China's General Administration of Customs and Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian and Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon exchanged documents of the protocol here on Tuesday.

Wang said the protocol was a new milestone in agricultural cooperation between China and Cambodia, and it would contribute to promoting the agricultural development in Cambodia and increasing trade volume between the two countries.

Sakhon said mangoes will be a new agricultural product that Cambodia will export to China, following milled rice, dried cassava chips and bananas.

"It will be a golden opportunity for Cambodia to gain a market share in China for its mangoes," he said. "I believe that the upcoming exports of mangoes to China will contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction in Cambodia's rural areas."

The minister said the Southeast Asian country has planted about 124,319 hectares of mango trees, yielding around 1.44 million tons of fresh mangoes a year.

"After mangoes, we hope to export more agricultural products such as longans, durians and pomelos, among others to the Chinese market in the future," Sakhon said.