Xi and his wife meet Cambodian king, queen mother

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have a cordial meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 24, 2023. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan had a cordial meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Friday.

Xi pointed out that over the past 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Cambodia, no matter how the international landscape evolved, the China-Cambodia friendship has lasted and shown new vitality, and their bilateral relations have become a model of international relations.

This is due to the profound friendship forged and nurtured by the older generation of Chinese leaders and former King Norodom Sihanouk, Xi said.

Noting that King Norodom Sihamoni and the queen mother have witnessed China's reform and development, Xi said they have always cared about China's development and are good friends of the Chinese people.

Xi said the goal of awarding the Friendship Medal of the People's Republic of China to the queen mother in 2020 was to thank her for her special contribution to China-Cambodia friendship.

"We should take over the baton of China-Cambodia friendship, let the ironclad friendship between the two countries be passed down from generation to generation, and write a new chapter in building the China-Cambodia community with a shared future," Xi added.

He emphasized that the Communist Party of China is uniting and leading the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization and is committed to peaceful development and win-win cooperation on the new journey of the new era.

China stands ready to work with Cambodia to build a cooperation framework in six major areas and supports Cambodia in building the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor," Xi said, adding that the country is also willing to accelerate the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

China will continue to support the Cambodian king's working group in bringing more benefits to the Cambodian people, he added.

Noting that China has provided selfless help and support to Cambodia for a long time, the Cambodian king and the queen mother said they have been paying close attention to China's development and are sincerely happy about China's achievements.

Cambodia appreciates the Belt and Road Initiative and the concept of building a community with a shared future for humankind, and is willing to work with China to take the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China as an opportunity to deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields and pass on the traditional friendship from generation to generation, they said.