Phnom Penh, April 16 (Xinhua) — Interview with Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, to Promote Traditional Friendship between China and Cambodia to a New Level
Wang Wenbin said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia in 1958, bilateral relations have withstood the test of time and the changing international situation, becoming more and more new and strong over time. The traditional friendship between China and Cambodia, created by the older generation of leaders such as Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, and Emperor Norodom Sihanouk, has continued to flourish and become a model of mutual respect and equal treatment among countries of different social systems and sizes.
Wang Wenbin stated that in recent years, under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, the “gold content” of China Cambodia friendly and pragmatic cooperation has been continuously enhanced. With the implementation of the new version of the Community of Shared Destiny Action Plan as the main line, the two sides continued to link up and jointly build the “the Belt and Road” initiative and Cambodia’s “Five Corners Strategy”, constantly enrich the “Diamond Six Sides” cooperation framework, and accelerate the construction of the “Industrial Development Corridor” and the “Fish and Rice Corridor”, with fruitful results and outstanding highlights.
Firstly, trade has significantly expanded. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the China Cambodia Free Trade Agreement continue to release dividends, with China becoming Cambodia’s largest trading partner for 13 consecutive years. The bilateral trade volume reached 17.83 billion US dollars in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 20.7%. High quality agricultural and fishery products such as Cambodian rice, bananas, mangoes, longans, coconuts, and basa fish have been allowed to be exported to China, enriching both the Chinese people’s food basket and the Cambodian people’s wallets.
Secondly, investment cooperation continues to deepen. China has maintained its position as the largest source of foreign investment in Cambodia for 13 consecutive years, with investment areas covering transportation, electricity, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism, special economic zones, information and communication, etc. The scope is wide, the scale is large, and the results are good. Taking the power sector as an example, by the end of 2024, Chinese enterprises have built and put into operation 10 hydropower stations and 2 thermal power stations in Cambodia, accounting for more than 60% of the total installed capacity in Cambodia, providing strong guarantees for the Cambodian people to “use electricity” and “make good use of electricity”.
Thirdly, mutually beneficial cooperation benefits people’s livelihoods. Sihanoukville Port Special Economic Zone, Golden Harbor Expressway, Siem Reap Angkor International Airport and other major landmark projects of the “the Belt and Road” have become important engines of Cambodia’s economic and social development, and created tens of thousands of jobs for the local people. China has also helped Cambodia build or upgrade about 4000 kilometers of roads, construct more than 10 super large bridges, and implement multiple phases of “small but beautiful” projects such as rural roads and rural water supply, effectively improving the lives of local people.
Wang Wenbin believes that people to people and cultural exchanges between China and Cambodia are an important pillar of the “Diamond Six” cooperation framework and the source of friendship between the two peoples. In combination with last year’s “China Cambodia Year of People to People and Cultural Exchanges”, the two sides comprehensively deepened cooperation in literature and art, tourism, youth, local, medical and other fields, and successfully held a series of wonderful and popular activities, which promoted exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations and mutual understanding between the two peoples. Cultural exchanges between China and Cambodia are both under the spotlight and in the fields. China has long carried out medical cooperation projects such as “Love Tour”, “Bright Tour”, and “Smile Tour” in Cambodia, providing assistance and health care to grassroots people in more than 20 provinces and cities. There are many heartwarming stories like this.
He said that in the context of the continuous deepening of China Cambodia relations, the people of the two countries will get closer and closer, and the people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries will continue to heat up. Looking forward to the future, China is willing to work with Cambodia to continue to increase investment in the field of people to people and cultural exchanges between the two countries under the guidance of the global civilization initiative, actively promote exchanges between the two countries in culture, youth, media, think tanks and other sectors, especially in the fields of tourism, science and technology, medical care, cultural relics restoration and other fields, launch more brand activities, and create more cooperation highlights.
He emphasized that both history and reality have proven that China and Cambodia are good neighbors, brothers, friends, and partners who treat each other with sincerity and mutual assistance. The friendship between the two countries is not an exchange of interests, not an expedient measure, nor a group confrontation. It is rooted in the practical needs of the development and national rejuvenation of their respective countries, conforms to the common interests of the two countries and their people, and conforms to the trend of the times when countries in the global South are united, self-improvement and common development.
Wang Wenbin said that in the face of the international situation of turmoil and endless global challenges, both China and Cambodia are committed to being a force for peace, development, and progress in the world. China will continue to work hand in hand with Cambodia to inherit the long-standing friendship, enhance strategic mutual trust, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and continuously elevate the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia to new heights, making new contributions to promoting regional and global peace, stability, development, and prosperity.