Joint building of Belt and Road highlighted

Cambodia

President Xi Jinping called on Thursday for China and Cambodia to maintain high-level strategic communication and carry out cooperation on joint building of the Belt and Road to promote common development.

Xi made the remarks during a meeting in Beijing with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Cambodia have respected, trusted and supported each other for shared growth, setting an example of big and small countries treating each other as equals and promoting mutual benefit and win-win cooperation, Xi said.

Both China and Cambodia are nations that value ties, and their ironclad friendship is unbreakable, he said.

Noting that the Belt and Road cooperation has brought tangible development opportunities to Cambodia, Xi said that China is willing to advance the synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with Cambodia's Pentagon Strategy by adhering to the principles of "extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits".

Xi also emphasized the need to enhance collaboration within the "Diamond Hexagon" bilateral cooperation framework, and strive to build the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor" to allow more partnership projects to deliver benefits to the people.

China supports projects such as airport construction and cultural heritage restoration in Cambodia, welcomes more Cambodian agricultural products to enter the Chinese market, and encourages more Chinese tourists to travel to Cambodia, he said.

Hun Manet commended the keynote speech Xi made on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, saying it demonstrated Xi's strategic foresight. He said the major practical measures proposed by Xi will surely lead to greater success in jointly building the Belt and Road.

Cambodia firmly follows a policy of friendship toward China and firmly supports China's core interests, Hun Manet said.

He added that his country actively supports the important initiatives put forward by Xi, which provide important opportunities and platforms for promoting world peace and development.

CAO DESHENG