China and five Southeast Asian countries have agreed to conduct joint crackdowns to combat online scams.

According to China’s state-run Xinhua News on Saturday, the agreement was reached after officials from China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam discussed the matter the previous day in the Chinese city of Kunming in Yunnan Province.

The participants concurred that such crimes have caused serious damage, undermining regional economic development and social stability while infringing on the rights and interests of people in all six countries.

The countries decided to enhance cooperation among their law enforcement authorities and to protect their citizens’ lives and assets through joint crackdowns on crime rings.

South Korea and Cambodia recently launched a joint task force with the aim of eradicating online scams, abductions, and other transnational crimes targeting South Korean nationals in the Southeast Asian country.