Several weeks after the Chinese foreign ministry announced that dozens of countries, including Cambodia, expressed support for China's stance in the South China Sea dispute, several media outlets reported over the weekend that China would provide Cambodia with more than half a billion dollars in aid to reciprocate this show of support.

Perhaps it is because of the South China Sea that Cambodia receives the $600 million, Voice of America (VOA) quoted a scholar in Khemarak University as saying. VOA theorized in its report that China in return for the aid expects Cambodia's support in discussions over the future of the South China Sea.

It appears that some media outlets have over-interpreted the implications behind the economic aid to Cambodia.

In fairness, the fund, aiming to support Cambodia's election infrastructure, education and health projects, is just one of the many achievements made by the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, held in Mongolia last week, to strengthen cooperation among the countries in Europe and Asia.

In recent years, China has played an important role in promoting development and economic integration in the region.

It is normal that China would have its own considerations in deciding which countries to provide economic aid to, but China's assistance in Southeast Asia focuses on long-term strategies, and should not be seen as the result of a temporary factor like the South China Sea dispute.

China has provided financial support to a series of projects in Southeast Asian countries, like Laos, in the past and has established cooperation mechanisms, such as the China-ASEAN investment fund. China hopes to improve regional cooperation and let Southeast Asian countries share the dividend of China's economic growth.

In fact, the Philippines - the catalyst in the South China Sea dispute - has undermined this atmosphere for cooperation. In contrast, it is normal and natural that Cambodia can benefit more from China's rise and the economic aid provided by the nation, which is now the country's largest donor.

The geopolitical picture in Asia has long been complex and uneven.

It is too simplistic to say China can buy Cambodia's voice for only $600 million. The fact that dozens of countries have expressed support for China's stance in the South China Sea dispute is not a result of economic aid, but the worry that the dispute will have a negative influence on the Asian economy.

According to media reports, related discussion over the South China Sea raised some Chinese netizens' enthusiasm for Cambodian-made agricultural products while there is a boycott against dried mango imported from the Philippines.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn