Xi meets Cambodian king, queen mother

President Xi Jinping has hailed the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia, and welcomed the Cambodian king to attend the upcoming Victory Day commemorations in Beijing.

Xi made the remarks on Tuesday, as he and his wife, Peng Liyuan, met in Beijing with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.

The Chinese president extended a warm welcome to the Cambodian king and the queen mother on their second visit to China this year, following one in March. Xi also fondly recalled the warm hospitality he received during his state visit to Cambodia in April.

High-level visits between the two countries are frequent. In April, during his state visit to Cambodia, Xi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet agreed to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era. Later this month, Hun Manet will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, as Cambodia has been a dialogue partner of the SCO since 2015.

During the talks on Tuesday, Xi said that relations between China and Cambodia have withstood the tests of changing international situations and the two countries have forged an ironclad friendship that has endured through thick and thin. This bond has become an invaluable asset for the two peoples and deserves to be cherished all the more by both sides, he added.

He called on the two countries to stand more firmly together, carry forward the traditional friendship, enhance solidarity and coordination, and accelerate the building of the all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, in order to deliver greater benefits to the two peoples.

Xi said that China firmly supports the Cambodian people in following a development path that suits their national conditions and achieving long-term peace and stability for their country.

King Sihamoni and the queen mother said they are glad to visit China again and to be invited to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War. They also stressed that the Chinese people have made significant contributions to safeguarding world peace.

Emphasizing that Cambodia views its relations with China from a strategic perspective, they said that Cambodia is willing to carry forward the traditional friendship and jointly build the all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.