Phnom Penh (FN), Sep. 30 – Below is the full remark of Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian at the reception celebrating 65 years of Diplomatic Relations between China and Cambodia, “China-Cambodia Friendship Year”, and the 74th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China on 28 September 2023.

"First, on behalf of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, I wish to extend warmest welcome to all distinguished guests who are here with us today.

Today’s reception is rich in themes of celebration, 65 years of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia, “China-Cambodia Friendship Year”, the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the traditional Chinese festivity of Mid-Autumn Festival due tomorrow. Taking this opportunity, our best regards and heartfelt thanks also go to local Chinese communities, Chinese nationals, business communities, medical team, teachers, volunteers and students here in Cambodia, and friends from all walks of life committed to friendship between our two brotherly nations.

2023 has been a very busy year for high-level exchanges between China and Cambodia. President Xi Jinping has met with His Majesty the King twice this year, in Beijing and in Hangzhou. Samdech Techo Hun Sen's visit to China in Februay fulfilled the promise with president Xi Jinping three years before in the very early days of the COVID19 outbreak. Carrying forward such profound friendship, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet embarked on his first official visit overseas to China in mid September, meeting with presdient Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang and witnessed the signing of a new 5-year Action Plan of Building a China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future and a dozen cooperation agreements. Our leaders have reached broad consensus on promoting diamond cooperation framework highlighting "Industrial and Technological Corridor" and "Fish and Rice Corridor". China and Cambodia have ushered in a new era of building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future.

In the coming month, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet will travel to China once again to attend the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and holding bilateral meetings with Chinese leaders. Such is the extraordinary intensity of China-Cambodia high-level engagements.

China-Cambodia ironclad friendship is based on solid foundation. Friendly exchanges between our two countries and peoples go way back to the dawn of times, extending far beyond 65 years of diplomatic ties. In recent centuries, many Chinese settle here and build lives for themselves in this inclusive land of promise, side by side with Khmer brothers and sisters.

We will always remember that back in 1955 during the Bandung Conference, King-Father Norodom Sihanouk and Premier Zhou Enlai forged a unique bond of friendship at first acquaintance, prompting the establishment of diplomatic ties between Cambodian and China on 19 July 1958. His Majesty had since travelled all across China and had close exchanges with generations of Chinese leaders, nurturing a profound friendship benefiting the two countries for generations that follow. Entering the new era, China-Cambodia relations witnessed remarkable upgrade from Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership to a high-quality, high-level, high-standard China-Cambodia Community of a Shared Future in the new era, with unremitting endeavors and pioneering efforts of many, a lot of whom among us today. Harnessing power from the very core spirit of mutual respect and equality, our friendship withstood the test of time and kept growing from strength to strength through thick and thin, ever more impregnable with each generation.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
As a Chinese saying goes, neighbors wish each other well, just as close family members do to each other. China is truly happy for Cambodia’s remarkable development achievements, and remains committed to assisting Cambodia best we can according to the need of our brothers and sisters in social economic growth and building better livelihoods.

I am also proud to report that China’s economy enjoys great resilience, potential and latitude, on a positive trajectory over the long run. In the first half of this year, China’s economy grew 5.5% year-on-year, leading major economies. Remarkably, export of vehicles and auto spare parts surged by 50.1%, making China the world’s top car exporter. Ship building export also grew by 28%. According to World Economic Outlook and World Investment Report 2023, China's economy is expected to grow by 5.2% this year, contributing to one-third of the world’s economic growth with one-fifth of global population.

74 years ago when China was founded, our forefathers built from scratch. From the ruins of war, there is now the world’s most complete industrial base and supply chain; and in cooperation with global partners, China has developed the world’s largest industrial economy and second largest GDP. For the first time, abject poverty is no more. China accomplished the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, now en route to basically realizing socialist modernization by 2035 by fostering new drivers of economy and new dynamics of high-quality development, while striving towards the second centenary goal of a “great modern socialist country”. 

Also in an effort to accomplish its goal, the Cambodian new government led by Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet launched the first phase of “Pentagonal Strategy”, which serves as a road-map to achieving the Kingdom’s vision of becoming a high-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income economy by 2050.
In this new era of bilateral relations, China is willing to work with Cambodia to jointly implement the important consensus reached by leaders of both countries and the newly signed action plan for building a China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future, while accelerating strategic synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Pentagonal Strategy, developing the diamond cooperation framework with six priority areas through the building of “Industrial and Technological Corridor” and “Fish and Rice Corridor”, with a view to promoting the building of a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future in the new era as a showcase for a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends,
In 1967, His Majesty the late King Father and Her Majesty Queen Mother gifted the Embassy two mango trees, which have withstood the test of time over the course of half a century, now thriving and flourishing ever more vigorously in the Embassy's “China-Cambodia Friendship Garden", for which Her Majesty the Queen Mother cut the ribbon. Embroidering our friendship with even more such gleeful vignettes this year, the Embassy had further great honour of receiving two more unique gift of trees, one Daeum Boprek from Her Majesty the Queen Mother, and the other Millingtonia hortensis L.f. tree from Samdech Techo Hun Sen. Together with a Jambolan Plum tree from Samdech Tea Banh, they shape the skyline of the Embassy, symbolizing and witnessing the ever-lasting China-Cambodia special bond of friendship. We have every reason to be confident that, under the strategic guidance of our leaders, our bilateral relations will usher in even greater progress, bringing more benefits to our two countries and two peoples, with promise of greater contribution to peace, stability and prosperity for the region and the world at large.

Lastly, I wish all the distinguished guests attending the reception tonight the best of health and fortunes.

May the people of China and Cambodia enjoy peace, progress and prosperity!
Long live China-Cambodia friendship!"
=FRESH NEWS