The just-concluded state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cambodia will further elevate the relations and friendship between the two nations and boost common development in the region, Cambodian officials and analysts say.
At the invitation of Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, President Xi paid a state visit to Cambodia on Thursday and Friday, the last leg of a three-nation Southeast Asia tour that also included Vietnam and Malaysia.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, received warm welcome throughout the visit.
"The royal welcome at the airport is the highest form of [for a] state visit ever in the Cambodian history. We upgraded to the all-weather kind of community with a shared future. 'All weather' means that it is very resilient, regardless of domestic and international changes, we stay resilient and stay on the course. So no force can disrupt this kind of partnership and friendship. Cambodia and China can work together. It's not only two, but the Global South in general. The developing world, in general, can work together to build this a new world order," said Chheang Vannarith, deputy secretary-general of the National Assembly of Cambodia.
During the visit, China and Cambodia signed more than 30 bilateral cooperation documents, which are expected to boost bilateral ties, contribute to prosperity in the region, and set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes, according to Cambodian political analysts.
"President Xi Jinping's state visit to Cambodia was highly successful, made fruitful achievements and elevated the Cambodia-and-China partnership to a new high level. As we know, over 30 bilateral cooperation agreements were signed, covering areas such as supply chain cooperation and artificial intelligence, further consolidating economic and political ties. This visit is bound to strengthen bilateral relations, enhance mutual trust, and contribute to the stability and prosperity of both countries and the broader regions," said Phy Veasna, researcher in geopolitics at the Royal Academy of Cambodia.
"The visit of President Xi Jinping to Cambodia represents a historical call, a moment in the history of very productive, constructive bilateral relation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the People's Republic of China. The bilateral relation between Cambodia and China is a model of equality, of win-win cooperation, of trust building between the two and the two countries, particularly [between] a major economy and a smaller state like Cambodia," said Chheng Kimlong, president of Asia Vision Institute, an independent think tank based in Phnom Penh.
The visit also presented new opportunities for Cambodia and the broader region, according to Cambodian political analysts.
"[For] the trip of President Xi to ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia at the time, this trip is very important for the ASEAN countries, especially for Cambodia. China is the most trusted partner of ASEAN. I would use the word like the heart-to-heart relation to discuss the the good relation between Cambodia and China. China is a success story. And Cambodia will have more opportunity by importing technology from China to develop internal capacity of Cambodian people, especially the young students," said Seun Sam, a political analyst of Royal Academy of Cambodia.
Xi's visit boosts China-Cambodia ties, contributes to regional development: analysts
