PHNOM PENH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The embassy of China to Cambodia on Friday awarded annual scholarships to 56 Cambodian students to pursue their bachelor's and master's degrees in China.

The students major in economics, commerce, information and communication technologies, engineering, agriculture, political science, international relations and laws.

Ambassador Pan Guangxue said the Chinese government has always attached great attention to the development of human resources in Cambodia.

"Education is the foundation for the social and economic development. China will try to offer as many scholarships as possible to Cambodia in order to develop human resources and to further enhance friendly relations between China and Cambodia," he said at the granting ceremony.

According to the ambassador, China provides at least 50 scholarships every year to Cambodian students for studying in China.

Phoeurng Sackona, secretary of state for Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, expressed sincere thanks to China for granting scholarships to Cambodian students.

"The scholarships reflect China's attention to the development human resources in Cambodia, a key element for the country's development," she said.