Xi's visit marks new characterization of China-Cambodia ties

President Xi Jinping's just-concluded state visit to Cambodia has seen the two neighboring countries give a fresh characterization of their relationship, after the leaders of both sides agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

At the invitation of King Norodom Sihamoni, Xi paid a state visit to Cambodia from Thursday to Friday. This was his second trip to the country in nine years, and also the third and final leg of his three-nation Southeast Asia tour that began on Monday.

Xi's visit took place on the jubilant occasion of the 20th anniversary of King Sihamoni's coronation and the Khmer New Year.

Upon his arrival at the airport in Phnom Penh on Thursday morning, Xi was accorded the nation's highest honor by King Sihamoni -- a testament to the millennia-old friendship between China and Cambodia.

Xi attended a grand welcome ceremony hosted by Sihamoni, during which the president, accompanied by the king, inspected the Guard of Honor. Hundreds of cheering people, waving the Chinese and Cambodian national flags and holding celebratory banners, gathered at the airport to welcome Xi.

Adding to the atmosphere were lively lion dance performances and more than 20,000 local people, along with representatives of overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded enterprises and Chinese students, who lined the streets to warmly welcome the president, as his motorcade drove from the airport to the hotel.

Xi met separately with Sihamoni, Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, and held talks with Prime Minister Hun Manet. During his sit-downs with these key Cambodian figures, Xi gave his keen assessment of the China-Cambodia relationship and made important remarks on how the two countries should cement their ties and cooperation in the new era.

When meeting with Sihamoni at the Royal Palace, Xi said that China and Cambodia set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes.

He said that China cherishes its friendship with the Cambodian royal family and highly commends the important contributions made by the royal family to the cause of China-Cambodia friendship over the years.

Sihamoni presented Xi with "the Grand Necklace Order for National Independence of the Kingdom of Cambodia".

When meeting with Hun Sen at the Peace Palace, Xi said that building a China-Cambodia community with a shared future is a choice of history and the people.

Xi said that China is ready to engage in exchanges and mutual learning with Cambodia on major issues such as strengthening party building and advancing reform and development, and to deepen friendly cooperation between China's National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference with the National Assembly and Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The high-level exchanges between the two countries culminated with Xi and Hun Manet agreeing to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era during their talks.

After the talks, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents covering a wide range of areas. The two sides also issued a joint statement on building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era and implementing the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative.

The two countries presented a unified front and spoke with one voice against unilateralism and hegemonism, while reaffirming their commitment to practicing true multilateralism amid the headwinds from mounting protectionism and geopolitical tensions.

When meeting with the Queen Mother at the Royal Palace on Thursday evening, Xi called her a witness and promoter of the China-Cambodia friendship. For her part, the Queen Mother said Xi is the greatest friend of Cambodia, adding that she believes the ironclad friendship between the two countries will grow even deeper and firmer.

Xi also attended a welcome banquet hosted by the king on Thursday evening.

On Friday morning, Xi was seen off by Hun Sen, along with other Cambodian leaders and senior officials at the airport, where a grand farewell ceremony for the president was hosted by Hun Sen.

As Xi waved goodbye to the crowd and concluded his trip to the country, he, along with Cambodian leaders, have charted a new course for the development of bilateral relations, laying a solid foundation for the building of a community with a shared future among neighboring countries.

Xi's visit marks new characterization of China-Cambodia ties

Xi's visit marks new characterization of China-Cambodia ties

Xi's visit marks new characterization of China-Cambodia ties

A deal to give the United States exclusive access to Ukraine's mineral resources has sparked contention among Ukrainian experts, who have described earlier drafts of the agreement as "unacceptable" and "colonial."

As the war between Ukraine and Russia is showing signs of winding down, another battle is quietly unfolding beneath Ukrainian soil, with competitors eying Ukraine's vast reserves of critical minerals.

The United States and Ukraine have signed an agreement to establish the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on Wednesday.

For some, the minerals deal with the United States offers a lifeline for Kiev's war-torn economy. For others, it signals the quiet start of a resource takeover, raising concerns about what Ukraine may be giving away in exchange for support.

Ukraine is rich in critical resources such as graphite, lithium, and titanium. All these are vital to electric vehicles, the aerospace industry, and the high-tech supply chain.

At a graphite quarry roughly 400 km south from Kiev, capital of Ukraine, the roads give way to deep ruts and scattered debris, which means the mine site falls short of normal operation in wartime.

According to Ukraine's geological survey, the country holds 22 of the 50 strategic materials identified by the U.S. as critical.

As the global race for these resources intensifies, Washington is eager to secure reliable access. Ukraine, desperate for investment for reconstruction, has opened its doors. However, according to experts, the negotiations have been tense.

"When we had the first draft of this agreement, it was absolutely awful, absolutely unacceptable for Ukraine. It was also like a colonial agreement," said Volodymyr Landa, senior economist at the Center of Economic Strategy of Ukraine.

The country's mining sector is in dire need of foreign capital. At one of Ukraine's largest graphite deposits, infrastructure is minimal, with a few dogs, a guard, and an elderly tractor driver.

A Lviv-based mine owner said water pipes freeze over in winter, bringing operations to a halt. More importantly, the war has drained both labor and funding.

"If the Ukrainian government presents it for free, for 50 years with free rent, our resources will lose from that," said Ostap Kostiuk, CEO of Zavallivskyi Graphite, located in the Kirovohrad region.

Following a tense and reportedly humiliating visit to Washington in March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have softened his stance on a minerals deal he once said he would never sign. The move has triggered public outcry at home.

"Now they (the U.S.) say 'give me money, no, lithium' for the guarantees. It's not fair, I think," said a local resident.

"I definitely started to respect America less. He (Trump) is not interested in Ukraine actually ending the war," another added.

This graphite deposit represents only a fraction of Ukraine's untapped potential. An estimated 30 percent of its critical minerals have already been extracted. The other 70 percent, still buried across vast swathes of the country, is what many believe Washington is ultimately eying.

"Please do everything to make this peace closer to us, closer to people, closer to Ukrainians. Because every day, every hour, every minute, it costs our Ukrainian nation one to five Ukrainian best guys' lives," said Kostiuk.

In the view of Professor Valeriy Pekar, a business scholar in Kyiv and Lviv, the Trump administration is not actually interested in securing peace for Ukraine.

"To take control of our resources, it is necessary to end the war. The American leadership declares themselves great peacemakers, but what they really do is not peacemaking. It's war mongering," he said.

US interest in Ukraine's critical minerals draws public backlash