Head of State Diplomacy

In February, Beijing greeted distinguished guests with a spring snow. On the 10th, President Xi Jinping met with visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.

On February 10, President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.

As an old friend and good friend of the Chinese people, Prime Minister Hun Sen is the first foreign leader received by China after the 2023 Lunar New Year, which fully reflects the high level of China-Cambodia relations. The leaders of the two countries agreed to work together to build a high-quality, high-level and high-standard community of shared future between China and Cambodia in the new era, and strive to build a "diamond six-sided" cooperation framework between China and Cambodia, injecting new connotation into the "iron" friendship between China and Cambodia.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia. Looking back on history, the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia, which was jointly created and carefully cultivated by the older generation of leaders of the two countries, is the common precious wealth of the two peoples. Today, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China-Cambodia relations are increasingly glowing with new vitality, and the construction of the China-Cambodia community of shared future has achieved fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples, and also contributing to the peace and development of the region and the world at large.

A lasting friendship

"I am very happy to realize the" three-year agreement "with you and jointly open a new era of the construction of the China-Cambodia community of shared future on the occasion of the Spring Festival."

During the meeting, President Xi Jinping recalled Prime Minister Hun Sen's "retrograde" visit to China three years ago. The "three-year appointment" of old friends bears witness to the "hardcore" friendship between China and Cambodia, and also injects new impetus into the construction of a community of destiny between China and Cambodia.

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the Beltai International University in Cambodia, said that Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit will help the leaders of the two countries to further strengthen the existing relations and will bring fruitful results for building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard community of shared future between Cambodia and China in a new era.

In China, many netizens affectionately call Cambodia "Cambodian Steel" - the friendship between China and Cambodia is as strong as steel. So, how was "Cambodian Steel" refined?

The Führer's diplomacy provides strategic guidance for the high operation of Sino-Cambodia relations. President Xi Jinping maintained high-frequency interaction with Cambodian leaders and jointly drew a blueprint for the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Cambodia. In April 2019, China and Cambodia took the lead in signing the action plan to build a community of destiny. Under the guidance of the Führer's diplomacy, Sino-Cambodia relations have continuously reached a new level, and the construction of a community with a shared future has achieved fruitful results.
 

On October 13, 2016, President Xi Jinping visited Cambodian Empress Dowager Monile in Phnom Penh. Empress Dowager Monile specially asked President Xi Jinping to take a seat in the chair that Emperor Sihanouk had often sat in his lifetime.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations 65 years ago, no matter how volatile the international situation is, the tree of China-Cambodia friendship has always been leafy and deeply rooted. When Cambodia is in need of recovery, China takes justice as the first priority and fully supports and helps Cambodia's national construction: assisting in the construction of Cambodia's first full-line four-lane national highway, contracting the construction of Cambodia's first cement plant, the first thermal power plant, and the largest hydropower station... King Sihamoni once said with emotion, "We will never forget it."

The Chinese people will also not forget that Cambodia firmly stood by China and the international moral side when the South China Sea was facing high winds and waves; At the most difficult time for China to fight the epidemic, King Sihamoni and Empress Dowager Moniel gave their full support. Prime Minister Hun Sen braved the snow to "retrograde" visit to China. More than 80 Cambodian children who had received treatment for CHD in China and their families raised and donated more than 5000 "love masks" to the Chinese side, which vividly illustrated the true friendship between China and Cambodia to share weal and woe and overcome difficulties.

On October 22, 2018, in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, Cambodian children who had undergone cardiac surgery rested in the hospital.

"In the face of the century-old changes in the world and the epidemic in the century, China and Cambodia have firmly promoted the construction of a community of destiny and set a model for building a new type of international relations." President Xi Jinping interpreted the value of the times of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

On issues related to each other's core interests and major concerns, the two sides have always given each other firm support and spoke out. This trust and friendship that can be entrusted to each other has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the two peoples.

The China-Cambodia friendship has passed through time and space, and is lasting forever.

The "big deal" behind an agreement
 

Sweet rice, soft and glutinous bananas, fresh longan, high-quality Bashar fish... More than a year after the implementation of the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement, more and more high-quality Cambodian agricultural products have appeared on the Chinese people's food baskets and tables.

Ma Zhanlun is the founder of the Cambodian e-commerce platform "Nongfeng". The implementation of the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement and the broad prospects of agricultural cooperation between the two countries showed him business opportunities. After the implementation of the agreement, Cambodian agricultural products will enter the larger Chinese market, which is a rare opportunity for Cambodian farmers, producers, processors and traders. He believed that as China continued to expand its opening to the outside world, Cambodia would usher in more development opportunities, and "more investors will enter the fields of technology, digital economy, agricultural processing and other fields".

On July 16, 2020, in the Cambodia-China Tropical Ecological Agriculture Cooperation Demonstration Zone in Kratie Province, Cambodia, Gao Guanhua (right), General Manager of Oasis Agricultural Development (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., and Wu Cheng, Deputy Director of Banana Industry Technology, inspected the quality of bananas.

In 2022, the trade volume between China and Cambodia reached US $16.02 billion, an increase of 17.5% year on year, reaching a new record. China has become Cambodia's largest trading partner for 11 consecutive years. The policy dividend brought by the implementation of the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has been gradually released, and the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation between the two countries has been further improved. By the end of 2022, Chinese enterprises have invested more than US $10 billion in Cambodia.

The Deputy State Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia Binsovich said that in the long run, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement will "provide a key driving force" for Cambodia's economic growth and further strengthen the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Cambodia and China.

Carrying forward the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia depends on practical work, seeking real benefits, and benefiting the people. How to bring more tangible benefits to the people of the two countries is a matter of concern to President Xi Jinping.

During the meeting on the 10th, President Xi Jinping pointed out that the two sides could focus on building a "diamond six-sided" cooperation framework between China and Cambodia from the six major fields of politics, production capacity, agriculture, energy, security and humanities, which received a positive response from Cambodia.

From economic and trade cooperation to development cooperation, from green development to digital transformation, China-Cambodia practical cooperation has been steadily promoted and has yielded fruitful results. Smiles and handshakes have witnessed the solid actions of China-Cambodia for mutual benefit and win-win development, and interpreted the height and depth of China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

A road to happiness
 

On the flat and open two-way four-lane road, cars pass by, and the blue sky and white clouds above form a dynamic and static landscape. This is the Jingang Expressway connecting Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and Sihanouk Port, the largest deepwater seaport. It is also the first expressway in Cambodia.

The Cambodian proverb says that there is hope when there is a way. The Golden Harbor Expressway is a landmark project of the "the Belt and Road" jointly built by China and Cambodia, and also an example of the docking of the "the Belt and Road" initiative with Cambodia's "four corner strategy". This expressway is invested, constructed and operated by Chinese enterprises, and adopts Chinese design and quality standards. It spans five provinces of Cambodia, with a total length of 187.05 kilometers. The number of traffic in the first three months has exceeded one million.

This is the Jingang Expressway Project (UAV photo) taken in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia on June 24, 2022.

The completion of the Jingang Expressway not only improves the existing highway network structure in Cambodia, but also promotes the economic links of many provinces and regions, which helps to improve the convenience of investment, drive industrial development, increase employment opportunities, and is of great significance to the sustainable development of economic and social.

Sweweti, the head of the toll squad at the West Port Station of the Golden Port Expressway, was very satisfied with his work. "I am very proud to work on the first highway in Cambodia!" He took the toll cash bag and prepared to change his post at the toll booth. "I wish Cambodia-China friendship will last forever!"

Today, hundreds of Cambodian employees in charge, monitoring, ticket card, obstacle clearance and maintenance have been trained and assessed before taking up their posts. When talking about the changes brought by the highway to the local area, the toll station administrator Saras Rapi opened his mouth: the original journey of more than five hours was shortened to about two hours. "The drivers said that with the highway, it is convenient to travel and saves time and money.".

This is the Cambodian National Stadium taken in Phnom Penh on September 9, 2021 (aerial photo)

Cambodia, located in the Indochina Peninsula, was an important stop of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. The joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" has painted a bright prospect for cooperation between China and Cambodia.

Today, the Sihanouk Port Special Economic Zone jointly built by China and Cambodia has introduced 175 enterprises and created tens of thousands of jobs; The landmark projects such as the China-Cambodia National Stadium, the China-Cambodia Friendship Medical Building, and the Tebenkemon Provincial Hospital have been completed; The irrigation area of water conservancy projects completed by Chinese enterprises has reached 456000 hectares, and more than 8000 kilometers of power transmission and transformation lines have been built in Cambodia's national power grid and rural power grid.

A heart-to-heart journey
 

As the high-quality joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" between China and Cambodia continues to advance, it can be predicted that more "connecting bridges", "prosperous ports" and "happy roads" will benefit the people of the two countries.

At noon on February 7, an Air China flight with 125 passengers landed at Phnom Penh International Airport, the capital of Cambodia, and received a grand "Watergate" reception. With the enthusiastic Cambodian traditional Changyang dance, the Cambodian Tourism Minister Tong Kun and the Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian presented Cambodian traditional water cloth and wreath to Chinese tourists one by one.

On February 7, an Air China flight carrying Chinese passengers arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport, the capital of Cambodia, from Beijing, and was warmly welcomed by Cambodia.

Tong Kun said at the welcoming ceremony that China's resumption of outbound tourism is very beneficial to Cambodia and the world economy. This year, Cambodia will strive to attract between 800000 and 1 million Chinese tourists.

Cambodia's long history, unique Khmer civilization and rich and colorful cultural heritage attract more and more Chinese tourists. The people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Cambodia are increasingly enriched and deepened, and the understanding and friendship between the two peoples are constantly enhanced.

China and Cambodia have jointly carried out the protection and restoration of cultural heritage and achieved fruitful results. From the Zhousa Temple to the Chajiao Temple, China's "cultural relic doctors" have revived the Angkor monument in Cambodia. Longkosar, deputy director of the Angkor World Cultural Heritage Administration in Cambodia, praised that Chinese experts are professional and efficient and have made "historic and practical" contributions to the protection and restoration of Angkor monuments.

On February 7, Chinese tourists were welcomed by Cambodia at Phnom Penh International Airport, the capital of Cambodia.

China's experience and wisdom in governing the country has inspired Cambodia's economic development and the improvement of people's livelihood. Shemonil, president of the Cambodian-Cambodia-China Association for the Development of Relations, is the head of the Cambodian translation team of Xi Jinping on Governance. In his opinion, Xi Jinping's Talks on Governance contains the governance concept and governance experience of the Communist Party of China. Cambodia's development in recent years is inseparable from the study of Chinese experience and concepts.

In January 2021, a three-year China-Cambodia Friendship Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Village Project was launched in Darong Village, Bati County, Chajiao Province, Cambodia, and the life of 37-year-old farmer Shun Songtui changed accordingly. After receiving the support of the chicken breeding pilot project funded by China, he quickly got rid of poverty and improved his life. Chamonile said that this project "combines the actual situation of Cambodia and draws on the successful experience of China's poverty alleviation".

China and Cambodia have always been good partners working side by side to promote common development and join hands in pursuing the dream of rejuvenation. Standing at the new starting point of China-Cambodia relations, China and Cambodia will continue to water the flowers of friendship and make new and greater contributions to the construction of a China-Cambodia community of shared future.