Analysts said China's aid is not only beneficial to the economic development of Cambodia, but also conducive to narrowing the development gap within ASEAN.
The two leaders pledged to expand cooperation in all fields and to double trade to $5 billion by 2017.
Before to the talks, Wen paid tribute to former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk at the capital's Royal Palace. Sihanouk passed away at the age of 90 in Beijing last month.
Wen also held talks with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath.
Fu Xuezhang, a former Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, said the death of Sihanouk will not change the direction of relations as both countries share similar policies at home and abroad — developing their domestic economies and maintaining diplomatic independence. "Cambodia, which has suffered from conflict for decades, always prioritizes development and stability, while cooperation with China has been helping it to achieve these goals,'' he said.
China is now Cambodia's largest foreign investor. In 2011, trade was around $2.5 billion, a 73.5 percent surge on the previous year. However, the number is dwarfed by the value of trade of other Southeast Asian countries with China.
Gong Yingchun, an associate professor with the Beijing-based China Foreign Affairs University said Asia is experiencing downward pressure, and for those Southeast Asian countries cooperation with China is inevitable and is even on the top of their agendas.
Landmark building should respect the public's feeling
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