A 60—Year Friendship Fueled By Mutual Trust and Respect

Wang Zi

Over the past 60 years， China-Cambodia friendship has been tested by a changing international landscape and only improved with age like a bottle of wine. Today， the two countries enjoy deep political trust， maintain close economic cooperation and conduct frequent high-level and people-to-people exchanges. Bilateral relations are moving deeper in a wide range of areas. After Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang visited Cambodia successively， the comprehensive strategic partnership reached new heights.

Long-standing Friendship

According to Book of the Later Han， an ancient Chinese classic from the fifth century， friendly exchange between China and Cambodia can be traced back to the year AD 84， when Funan， a kingdom largely located in present-day Cambodia， sent envoys to China with gifts. During Chinas Three Kingdoms （220-280） period， Sun Quan， Emperor of Eastern Wu， commissioned envoys Kang Tai and Zhu Ying to visit Funan. After that， personnel exchanges between the two sides increased along with maritime trade. The Customs of Cambodia， a book written during Chinas Yuan Dynasty （1271-1368）， provides a vivid account of the local customs in Angkor and depicts the cultural and trade exchanges between the Chinese and Cambodians at the time.

At the 1955 Bandung Conference， then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai met with then Cambodian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Norodom Sihanouk， which marked the beginning of modern China-Cambodia friendship. The two countries established diplomatic ties on July 19， 1958. The profound friendship cultivated by successive leaders of China and Sihanouk laid a solid foundation for the steady development of the bilateral relations over a long period of time. Since China and Cambodia established a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2010， high-level exchanges between the two sides have become more frequent， coordination on regional and global affairs enhanced and cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative strengthened. In October 2016， President Xi paid a state visit to Cambodia. In January of this year， Premier Li made a trip to Phnom Penh for the second Lancang-Mekong Cooperation leaders meeting and an official visit to Cambodia.

Shared belief is what makes China and Cambodia devoted friends. Inspired by the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence introduced by China， Cambodias foreign policy centers on the principles of independence， permanent neutrality， non-alignment and peaceful coexistence with other countries. When Cambodia faced war and external aggression from the 1970s to the 1990s， China provided Cambodia with assistance and committed to the peaceful settlement of conflict in the country. Despite changes in the international situation， the two countries fully support each other on issues concerning their core interests， major concerns and principles of national dignity， sovereignty and independence. China respects Cambodias sovereignty and independence and its choice of development path that suits its national conditions. Furthermore， Cambodia upholds justice on the South China Sea issue， insisting on consultation among concerned parties within the framework of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea and the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

A Promising Prospect

China and Cambodia have enhanced their friendly cooperation with implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative， providing a pristine example of mutually beneficial bilateral relations. President Xis visit to Cambodia in 2016 lifted the relationship to a new high. During his visit， a total of 31 cooperation agreements were signed including a memorandum of understanding on the implementation of bilateral cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Industrial parks built by China in Cambodia such as the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone （SSEZ） have played a key role in upgrading Cambodias industrial structure， creating employment and education opportunities and improving the livelihood of local residents. More than 100 enterprises have settled in the SSEZ， providing nearly 20，000 jobs for the local community. Production capacity cooperation has helped solve Cambodias power shortage and optimize China-Cambodia connectivity. Chinas procurement of Cambodian agricultural products not only enables Chinese people to enjoy high-quality rice and tropical fruits， but is also driving the transformation of Cambodias agricultural sector. Chinas official development assistance to Cambodia brings local people real benefits in a wide range of areas including public transportation， environmental protection and social welfare. More importantly， the advancing of the Belt and Road Initiative is bridging the hearts of the two peoples.

Alignment between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Cambodias Rectangular Strategy for development will be enhanced in years to come. Cooperation between the two sides is being carried out under favorable conditions in terms of politics， geography， business environment and resources. Cambodia is positioned in an important place along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road at the heart of the Indochina Peninsula. The country enjoys political stability， an open market， an improving investment environment and abundant natural and human resources. And the respective development strategies of China and Cambodia are highly complementary. Cambodia is currently in the third phase of its Rectangular Strategy， focused on promoting industrialization and social reform. The countrys Industrial Development Policy 2015–2025 was introduced in 2015 with a core objective of promoting industrial structure upgrading.

The Cambodian government has adopted four key concrete measures to implement its plan for industrial development. First， improve its power supply and lower the price of electricity. Second， improve overall planning for transportation and logistics systems， especially those connecting Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville， Phnom Penh and Bavet and Phnom Penh and Poipet， which serve as economic corridors. Third， strengthen mechanisms on labor market management and skills development， and fourth， transform Sihanoukville Province into a demonstration area for comprehensive development of special economic zones. These four measures are respectively manifested in China-Cambodia cooperation in the form of hydroelectric projects， highway and bridge construction， vocational training and the SSEZ. Production capacity cooperation between the two sides will continue to find new ground and make further progress.

All signs point to the China-Cambodia friendship only growing stronger. China will work with Cambodia to strengthen coordination of multilateral cooperation mechanisms， safeguard regional interests and international justice and build a community of shared future for mankind. Mutual visits， youth exchange and personnel training will be enhanced， and people-to-people exchange will play a greater role in promoting China-Cambodia relations.