Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Chen Zhi’s case on January 26, saying the decisions to return him to China and revoke his Cambodian nationality fully complied with Cambodia’s legal system and principles of international mutual legal assistance.
The spokesperson said the 2025 amendments to the Nationality Law allowed nationality obtained through fraud or false information to be revoked according to law. An investigation had established irregularities in Chen’s acquisition of Cambodian nationality, the ministry said, and the government therefore exercised its sovereign authority to revoke it and remove him from the country.
The ministry also maintained that Cambodia’s system of checks and balances was functioning well. Transferring people within a legal framework was a formal act of judicial cooperation and mutual assistance, it said, complying with domestic law and international obligations and demonstrating Cambodia’s commitment to combating transnational crime, maintaining regional peace and stability, and promoting socioeconomic development.
