Phnom Penh (FN), Sep. 30 – On the joyous occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, I wish to extend best regards to the compatriots working, studying or living in Cambodia on behalf of the Chinese Embassy. I also wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to Chinese and Cambodian friends from all walks of life dedicated to China’s development and friendship between our two brotherly nations.
75 years is but a mere blink of the eye in the long history of mankind, but for the Chinese people, it is 75 years of vast changes never before seen. Over the past 75 years, the Communist Party of China has led the people of all ethnic groups in the country to forge ahead and successfully created two miracles: rapid economic development and long-term social stability. China has grown from being poor and weak to the world’s second largest economy, with an average annual GDP growth of 7.9 % over the past 70 years. The Chinese people, once suffered from shortage of food and clothing, now enjoy prosperous life in all respects, with hundreds of millions of rural residents being lifted out of poverty. The average life expectancy reached 78.6 years, more than doubling that of 1949. China’s development benefits not only itself, but also the rest of the world. China is committed to the path of peaceful development. From 1979 to 2023, China's annual contribution to world economic growth is 24.8%, ranking first in the world. President Xi Jinping’s vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has evolved from a Chinese initiative into an international consensus. The high-quality Belt and Road cooperation has become a popular international public good and a platform for global cooperation, with Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative also resonating strongly around the world. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee held not long ago established the comprehensive plan for further deepening reform across the spectrum and promoting Chinese-style modernization, putting forward more than 300 important reform measures, which will no doubt greatly spur the realization of Chinese-style modernization. The Chinese-style modernization not only seeks achieving its own goals, but also commits to working with other countries to achieve peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation and common prosperity, bringing broader prospects for world modernization and human progress.
Adding to the festivity, this year also marks the 66th anniversary of China-Cambodia diplomatic relations. Over the past 66 years, the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia, jointly initiated by elder generation of leaders of the two countries, has continued to flourish ever more vigorously, showcasing a model of equality, mutual support and common development for countries of different social systems and scales. Ever since its establishment, the new Cambodian government led by Prime Minister Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet firmly adheres to the policy toward China formulated by the Cambodian People's Party, further consolidating strategic mutual trust between the two countries and maintaining the positive developmental momentum in various cooperation fields, bringing new vigor and vitality to ironclad China-Cambodia friendship. This year saw frequent high-level exchanges, with bilateral trade and investment cooperation developing at a staggering speed, manifested by the steady progress of “Industrial and Technological Corridor” and “Fish and Rice Corridor”, and more Cambodian agricultural products, such as coconuts, being allowed to be exported to China. This July witnessed the naming of “Xi Jinping Boulevard”, yet another important symbol of carrying forward our profound friendship. At present, China is making great strides towards the goal of becoming a great modern socialist country by the middle of this century, with the new government of Cambodia also putting forward the development vision of becoming a high-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income economy by 2050. The developmental goals of our two countries are highly compatible, which gives new meaning of the current era to our ironclad friendship while opening up vaster space for deepening our mutually beneficial cooperation. China will firmly support smooth governance of the new Cambodian government and the realization of the vision for 2030 and 2050. China is ready to join hands with Cambodia to promote the building of a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia Community with a Shared Future and march forward side by side on the bright path of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese and Khmer nations.
I’d be remiss not to mention that this year is also the Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year. A Cambodian friend once told me that China-Cambodia relations should ultimately be judged by the people of the two countries and I couldn’t agree more. It is the priority of our Embassy to further strengthen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation. Since the very beginning of this year, various successful events such as “Shaolin Meets Angkor”, “Bingbing’s Gracious Gifts” Interactive Talk Show, “Beautiful Cambodia, Beautiful China” Photo Exhibition, the China-Cambodia Tourism Forum and the China-Cambodia Youth Dialogue have brought the two peoples closer together. During first seven months of this year, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia increased by 46% year-on-year. More events are to be expected this year, such as the China-Cambodia Sister Cities Conference. We believe that the series of colorful events will further enhance the mutual understanding and good relations between the two peoples, while striking deeper roots of ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia.
Last but not least, this year also marks my very first year as Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia. I wish to extend sincere appreciation to Cambodian friends from all walks of life for their strong support and assistance to the work of the Embassy and myself, which bestows upon us the warmth of family. It is, by all means, a pleasure and honor working for the deepening of China-Cambodia ironclad friendship. My colleagues and I will join hands with Cambodian friends in unremitting efforts to usher in a new chapter of China-Cambodia friendship.
Lastly, may China and Cambodia enjoy peace, progress and prosperity!
Long live China-Cambodia friendship!
Wang Wenbin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Cambodia.
=FRESH NEWS
