By Mao Pengfei and Gao Bingnan

PHNOM PENH, Jan 22 -- The 14th Chinese military medical expert team sent by the Naval Military Medical University of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Cambodia were awarded the "Peace Knight Medal" by the Cambodian Defense Ministry at a ceremony on the afternoon of January 21.

At the ceremony, deputy director of the General Administration of Logistics and Finance of the Cambodian Defense Ministry conferred the medals and certificates of honor on the five Chinese military medical experts including Li Ling, Qin Wenxing, Sun Guangyuan, QiuYiqing and Zhang Dan.

Lieutenant General Ly Sovan, director of the Preah Ket Mealea Hospital, the general hospital of Royal Cambodian Army, said that the Chinese experts and the Cambodian doctors jointly established a multidisciplinary team for trauma treatment, participated in the diagnosis and treatment of more than 800 cases of craniocerebral, chest, spine, abdominal and urinary system diseases and advanced tumors, guided the treatment of more than 100 cases of acute, difficult and critical cases as well as almost 200 surgeries.

All these have significantly improved the capability of the hospital to diagnose and treat in various disciplines and the level of comprehensive hospital treatment, said Lieutenant General Ly Sovan.

Li Jingfeng, military attaché of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, said that China and Cambodia are close and friendly neighbors and comprehensive strategic partners. Medical assistance plays an important role in China's assistance to Cambodia and is an important part of the exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese and Cambodian militaries.

As of press time, the 15th PLA medical expert team has arrived in Phnom Penh on January 21 and will carry out a one-year medical assistance mission soon.