Ironclad friendship with Cambodia hailed

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, shakes hands with Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Beijing on Tuesday. (XIE HUANCHI/XINHUA)

President Xi Jinping stressed on Tuesday Beijing's commitment to building a high-quality, high-standard, and high-level China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, saying that the Southeast Asian country has always been a priority in the nation's neighborhood diplomacy.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during talks in Beijing with Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who started a three-day visit to China on Monday.

The visit marks Hun Sen's first trip to China in his capacity as president of the Cambodian Senate since he stepped down as prime minister in August 2023.

Xi highlighted the enduring ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia, noting that the relationship aligns closely with the shared interests of both peoples.

He called on the two countries to enhance mutual exchanges, saying that the CPC is willing to strengthen cooperation with the CPP in strategic communication and the training of officials, and help Cambodia explore a development path suited to its national conditions.

China stands ready to work with Cambodia to enrich the Diamond Hexagon bilateral cooperation framework and formulate cooperation plans on the development of the Industrial Development Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor, Xi said.

He also stressed the need to ensure the successful implementation of key cooperation projects, in order to foster high-quality alignment between the Belt and Road Initiative and Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy.

China has been Cambodia's largest trading partner and largest source of investment for many years.

A bilateral free-trade agreement signed between the two countries, which took effect on Jan 1, 2022, was the first bilateral free-trade arrangement that Cambodia signed with another country.

Customs statistics showed that from January to August, bilateral trade grew 19.9 percent year-on-year to $11.81 billion.

During their talks, Xi pledged continuous support to Cambodia in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs, in order to enhance the strength of the Global South.

Beijing supports the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in upholding its strategic autonomy and maintaining its centrality, he said, adding that China firmly opposes the introduction of a Cold War mentality into the region by external forces.

Hun Sen underscored that friendship with China is the firm political consensus of the CPP and will remain unchanged despite the transition of the Cambodian leadership.

Stressing that China is Cambodia's most trusted friend, he said that Cambodia appreciates China's long-term support and assistance for the country's political, economic, and social development.

Cambodia is willing to strengthen party-to-party exchanges with China, deepen political mutual trust, promote practical cooperation in various fields, and enhance youth and people-to-people exchanges, he said.

Ties between China and Cambodia reached new heights under Hun Sen's tenure as Cambodian prime minister, becoming an "all-weather, ironclad partnership".