Cambodian PM Hun Sen： Good Friend， Old Friend–True Friend

Tang Xiaoyong

On December 1， 2017， Xi Jinping， General Secretary of the Communist Party of China （CPC） and President of the Peoples Republic of China （PRC）， met with Hun Sen， Cambodian Prime Minister and President of the Cambodian Peoples Party （CPP）， who traveled to Beijing for the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting.

Xi Jinping called Hun Sen a good friend， an old friend and a true friend of the CPC and the Chinese people. He declared that China-Cambodia ties have reached their greatest period in history. The two sides have continuously enhanced political mutual trust and expanded practical cooperation. People-to-people exchange has grown increasingly close， which has resulted in substantial benefits for both peoples. The year 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of China-Cambodia diplomatic ties. Xi expressed hope that both sides will seize the opportunity to promote sound and sustained development of bilateral relations.

Being called a “good friend， old friend and true friend” is one of the highest honors possible， coming from President Xi， and such intimacy cuts to the heart of the friendly relations between China and Cambodia.

Dedication to Cambodia-China Friendship

One of the most influential political figures in the history of contemporary Cambodia， Prime Minister Hun Sen has achieved legendary status. He was born into a poor peasant family and became involved in guerrilla warfare in the tropical jungles early in his life. The military commander became a political figure when he rose to premiership at the age of 32， making him the worlds youngest head of government at the time.

After signing Agreements on a Comprehensive Political Settlement of the Cambodia Conflict （Paris Accords） in Paris in 1991， Cambodia embarked on a new period of peace building. From that point on， Hun Sen maintained constant contact with China. In January 1994， he made an official visit to China as Co-Prime Minister of Prince Norodom Ranariddh. In July 1996， he paid a working visit to China as the Second Prime Minister of Cambodia. With the following visits and international conferences in China， Hun Sen continuously deepened his understanding of China. He is especially grateful for “Chinas consistent support for Cambodia at the most difficult times.” He believes Chinas development is both beneficial to Cambodia and also conducive to the peace and stability of the region and the world.

Cambodia-China relations have made considerable progress during the tenure of Prime Minister Hun Sen. The traditional friendship established by the older generation of leaders have been carried forward and further developed. “We have taken good care of this relationship and elevated it to a comprehensive strategic partnership，” remarked Hun Sen. The two sides have frequently exchanged high-level visits and continue to respect each others core interests. The Prime Minister has always stressed adherence to the “One China” principle. On February 5， 2017， he reiterated that the Cambodian government will adhere to the “One China” policy for the long term. This position will never waver， and Cambodia will never allow Taiwan to set up any institution with an official background in Cambodia， he stressed.

On the South China Sea issue， which is related to the interests of China and Southeast Asian countries， Prime Minister Hun Sen has also maintained an objective and impartial attitude. He supports Chinas stance against moves that complicate the situation. In a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqing on July 15， 2016， Li said that on the South China Sea issue， Cambodia has taken an objective and impartial stance and spoken out for justice， defending the real international rule of law and regional rules and order as well as playing a key role in safeguarding the overall situation of China-ASEAN relations and regional peace and stability.

Hun Sen has joined Chinese leaders in promoting the Belt and Road construction. The scope of practical bilateral cooperation has expanded， which has consolidated the foundation of friendship between the two peoples. On the morning of May 7， 2018， Prime Minister Hun Sen attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the improvement and enlargement of National Road 3， which was funded with the concessional loan from China and contracted by the China Road and Bridge Corporation （CRBC）. At the ceremony， the prime minister expressed profound gratitude to the government and people of China for providing the concessional loan. “Some have criticized us for our close relationship with China simply out of jealousy，” he said. “As the worlds second largest economy， China has always positively responded to our proposals with respect rather than pointing fingers.”

“China has provided us with free assistance and concessional loans for infrastructure， which have contributed greatly to Cambodias development，” added Hun Sen. “Many Chinese friends are working here on the projects， which also create job opportunities for local people.”

‘I Prefer the Chinese Experience

Prime Minister Hun Sen greatly appreciates Chinas development model. He attaches great importance to learning from Chinas experience in reform and opening-up and state governance and applying it to Cambodias economic development.

He believes Cambodia has already benefited considerably from Chinas experience. “Compared to the experiences of other countries， I prefer the Chinese experience，” he illustrated. “I told my government officials that they dont have to travel all the way to Western countries to learn how the central government should delegate power to the local authorities while keeping local authorities accountable to the central government. The Chinese experience is in our backyard. For example， the Chinese central government has delegated considerable power to provinces， many of which are huge. Shandong Province， for example， has a population of over 100 million. Chinas special economic zones like Shenzhen， Shanghai and Zhuhai are also huge. They have accumulated a lot of experience over the years. China has very good experience delegating power from the central government， as well as in governance， taxation， allocation of resources， division of labor and other realms. I have visited China often to enrich my experience. I have also invited Chinese economists to Cambodia to share their experience with us.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen is a pragmatic leader. He has stressed that Cambodia should follow a development path in line with its national conditions， with economic development and poverty eradication as top priorities. China has given strong support to Cambodias economic development. It has provided the country with a variety of economic assistance including concessional loans as well as technical assistance in the areas of infrastructure and personnel training. Chinese state-owned enterprises have participated in construction of large-scale projects such as hydroelectric plants， mining， roads and oil drilling， which has improved Cambodias infrastructure. Chinese private enterprises have invested in industries such as garments， electronic information， agriculture， forestry and fishery， trade， imports and exports， transportation， tourism and catering services， which has improved the standards of living across Cambodia.

Chinas investment in and assistance to Cambodia provide an important guarantee for Cambodias rapid economic growth. Prime Minister Hun Sen spoke very highly of the situation. “China has never required any political concessions along with its assistance， which has helped Cambodia maintain political independence，” he stressed. “Chinese assistance meets the needs of Cambodias economic development， which has contributed greatly to poverty alleviation in my country.”