Global Times: China, Cambodia set cooperation model for nations of different sizes, Xi says

BEIJING, April 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. The two leaders agreed to build an all-weather community with shared future in a new era and designated 2025 China-Cambodia Year of Tourism, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The leaders of China, Cambodia also witnessed the exchange of more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents.

Xi said China will open its mega-market to Cambodia, import more high-quality Cambodian agricultural products.

President Xi also met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Thursday. 

Xi said China and Cambodia set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes during his meeting with the Cambodian King, adding that he believes Chinese modernization will bring more opportunities to neighboring countries including Cambodia.

During his meeting with Hun Sen, Xi said that unilateralism and hegemonism receive no support of the people, and trade wars undermine the multilateral trading system and disrupt global economic order.

Xi also urged all countries to unite and firmly keep the reins of national security and development in their own hands, adding that China will maintain the continuity and stability of its neighborhood diplomacy.

Xi arrived in Phnom Penh earlier on Thursday for a state visit to Cambodia, his second visit to the country in nine years. Cambodia is the third leg of Xi's three-nation Southeast Asia tour after concluding successful state visits in Vietnam and Malaysia. 

Xi said Thursday he looks forward to cementing friendship and promoting cooperation with Cambodia in a written statement upon his arrival in Phnom Penh.

Xi said China takes Cambodia as a priority in neighborhood diplomacy, and firmly supports Cambodia upholding strategic independence and following a development path suited to its national conditions.

Xi was warmly welcomed by King Sihamoni, Hun Sen and other senior officials at the airport during a grand welcome ceremony held by the king.

Large enthusiastic crowds lined up neatly at the airport to warmly welcome President Xi. "We love China!" said Cambodian girls dressed in traditional white and red attire, standing among the welcoming crowds. They held golden cups filled with jasmine petals - a unique Cambodian tradition for receiving the country's most distinguished guests, the Global Times learned.

Cambodian media also expressed a positive and welcoming attitude toward the leader's visit. The Khmer Times said Xi's "landmark visit" is expected to "further cement the historical bonds of friendship and cooperation nurtured by successive leaders of both countries."

Jian Hua Daily said Xi's visit is an important manifestation of the traditional friendly relations between the two countries, and it will further promote bilateral cooperation in various fields to a new level.

Enriched dimensions

Lu Guangsheng, a professor at Yunnan University's Institute of International Relations, told the Global Times that President Xi's visit has continued and strengthened the traditional friendly and cooperative relationship between China and Cambodia, further enriching the already close strategic partnership between China and Cambodia.

The further deepening of practical cooperation between the two countries holds landmark significance in promoting the substantive and thorough implementation of Belt and Road Initiative projects in Southeast Asia, Lu said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wenbin said China has been Cambodia's largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. And in 2024, two-way trade reached $17.83 billion, up by 20.7 percent year-on-year.

China has remained Cambodia's largest source of foreign investment for 13 consecutive years, with investments spanning a wide range of sectors, including transportation, power, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, special economic zones, as well as information and communications technology, characterized by extensive coverage, large scale and strong results, said Wang.

Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told the Global Times that Xi's visit will further strengthen political trust and reinforce China-Cambodia shared vision for common development.

He said that the "ironclad friendship" between China and Cambodia has consistently delivered results, even amid global uncertainties.

"It [The visit] is a powerful driver to elevate our already strong ties, ensuring long-term peace, stability, prosperity, and friendship for both nations and the broader region," he said.

Ties withstand the test 

Noting that bilateral ties were forged and nurtured by the elder generations of leaders of the two countries, Xi said in a written statement upon his arrival in Phnom Penh that China-Cambodia relations have withstood the test of global transformations, and always remained rock-solid.

China and Cambodia have supported each other in maintaining stability and promoting development and prosperity, and worked together in upholding international fairness and justice, setting an example for a new type of international relations while contributing to building a community with a shared future for mankind, he added.

Together we must stand against hegemonism, power politics and camp-based confrontation, and defend the shared interests of our two countries and other developing countries, Xi said in a signed article titled "Together We Strive, Together We Thrive: Toward a Stable and Sustainable China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the New Era" published Thursday in Cambodian media outlets Khmer Times, Jian Hua Daily and Fresh News ahead of his arrival in Cambodia, according to Xinhua.

We should advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, endeavor to safeguard world peace and stability and international fairness and justice, jointly oppose protectionism, and defend an international environment of openness and cooperation, Xi noted.

"Cambodia-China's special and unbreakable ties are a 'unique role model' of interstate relations … Joint efforts in diplomacy, trade, and security enhance peace and prosperity, while close coordination on global platforms strengthens multilateralism," Kin Phea said.

Cambodia greatly values this partnership, which contributes not only to our national development but also to regional harmony. The enduring strength of our ties demonstrates the power of genuine friendship based on equality, respect, and mutual support, the Cambodian expert added.

At a time when the world is facing rising uncertainty, there is no doubt that the deepening cooperation between China and Cambodia represents a kind of certainty amid turbulence, Lu Guangsheng said. "It also serves as a role model for the development of relations among regional countries."

Moreover, against the backdrop of certain country's using tariffs and economic pressure as tools of strategic coercion, President Xi's state visits demonstrate confidence in countering coercion and hegemony through cooperation - both bilaterally and within the region - with Southeast Asian countries, Lu said.

This article first appeared in Global Times: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202504/1332357.shtml 

SOURCE Global Times