On April 17, President Xi Jinping flew from Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh and began a state visit to Cambodia. This is also the last stop of President Xi’s trip to Southeast Asia.

In recent years, the construction of China-Cambodia Community of Shared Future has entered a new era of high quality, high level and high standards. During this visit, the leaders of the two countries agreed to work together to build a community of shared future between China and Cambodia in the new era, which is a new positioning of China-Cambodia relations.

Video: Xi Jinping arrives in Phnom Penh to pay a state visit to Cambodia

1. The highest courtesy to welcome "family"

At around 11:05 am on the 17th, President Xi Jinping's special plane arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport. This is nine years later, President Xi has once again set foot on this beautiful land.

Huge photo of the leaders of the two countries and flags on the streets of Phnom Penh. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter Lu Hongyu)

Cambodian King Sihamoni once used "to be close as a family" to compare Cambodia-China relations. In October 2016, during President Xi’s visit to Cambodia, Queen Mother Monile said sincerely, “Welcome to your home, we are like a family sitting together and chatting.”

During President Xi’s visit to Cambodia, Cambodia gave the most solemn courtesy and warmest reception. King Sihamoni personally went to the airport to greet him and held a welcome ceremony for President Xi. This is the first welcome ceremony held at the airport in 20 years since he ascended the throne. BJP Chairman and Sen. Hun Sen were also present to greet him. Break the routine arrangements and demonstrate the weight of hardcore friendship.

At the welcoming ceremony, local people warmly welcomed President Xi’s visit. (Photo taken by Wang Xiaodong, CCTV reporter)

The jasmine bracelet presented by Princess Jenna of the Cambodian royal family to President Xi. (Photo taken by Pan Yi, a reporter from China Central Radio and Television)

This visit coincides with the traditional Cambodian New Year. In a signed article published by local media, President Xi said that he was very happy to be invited to his good friend's house as a guest on the occasion of Cambodia's traditional New Year.

In his written speech at the airport, President Xi once again extended his wonderful New Year greetings to the Cambodian government and people.

Local youth warmly welcomed President Xi’s visit. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter Peng Hanming)

On that day, more than 20,000 local people, overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded enterprises and international students gathered on both sides of the street to welcome President Xi to visit. The scene was warm and moving.

On the way from the airport to the hotel, more than 20,000 people warmly welcomed President Xi to the visit. (Photo taken by reporter Cheng Aihua from the headquarters)

2. Engage in intensive meetings to continue friendship

In the afternoon of the same day, President Xi Jinping met with King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monile, met with the President of the People's Party and Senate Chairman Hun Sen, and held talks with Prime Minister Honmane.

Friendship is always a high-frequency word in intensive state activities.

The flags of China and Cambodia hung on the streets of Phnom Penh. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter Lu Xinyu)

China has always cherished the friendship with the Cambodian royal family. King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monile come to China every year, and President Xi meets them many times and chats with them.

This time, a meeting with King Sihamoni was held in Phnom Penh. President Xi stressed that under the new circumstances, China and Cambodia should cherish and inherit the China-Cambodia friendship jointly created by the older generation of Chinese leaders and Emperor Sihanouk.

In the Phnom Penh Palace, President Xi’s meeting with King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monile was held here. (Photo taken by Liu Qi, CCTV reporter)

During the meeting, King Sihamoni described the friendly cooperation between Cambodia and China as "progress every month and results every year." On the same day, he awarded President Xi the "Kingle-Level Medal of National Independence of the Kingdom of Cambodia".

Exclusive video丨Xi Jinping accepted the "Kingle-level Necklace-level Medal of National Independence of the Kingdom of Cambodia"

The Supreme Medal is a witness to the hardcore friendship. Queen Mother Monile is a witness and promoter of China-Cambodia friendship. In November 2020, President Xi awarded her the "Medal of Friendship" to China's highest national honor to the outside world in Beijing.

During this meeting, President Xi said that Queen Mother Monile deserved the award of the "Medal of Friendship" of the People's Republic of China. "China is your second home, welcome to come to China at any time."

The square in front of the Golden Palace of the Phnom Penh Royal Palace. (Photo taken by Duan Dewen, CCTV reporter)

The leaders of China and Cambodia often come and go and form special friendships like visiting relatives.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, then-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visited China in a brutal and snow to express his support for China. In December last year, Hun Sen said during talks with President Xi in Beijing that friendship with China is a firm political consensus of the Cambodian People's Party and that no changes will occur due to the intergenerational handover of the Cambodian leadership.

In September 2023, less than a month after taking office as Prime Minister of Cambodia, Honmanai chose China as the first country to conduct a bilateral visit. He told President Xi that this move is to reflect that the new Cambodian government will continue to firmly pursue a friendly policy towards China.

At the Peace Building in Phnom Penh, a meeting between President Xi and Hun Sen and Hong Manai was held here. (Photo taken by Fan Yiming, CCTV reporter)

During this face-to-face exchange with the two Cambodian leaders, President Xi stressed that "China and Cambodia are friendly neighbors and hardcore friends." "The China-Cambodia iron-core friendship has a deep historical accumulation, a solid political foundation, and a strong endogenous driving force."

Hun Sen said, "China is Cambodia's most staunch supporter and most reliable partner." Hun Manai said, "China is Cambodia's most reliable and trustworthy friend."

The international situation is intertwined, and hardcore friendship is even more precious.

The scene of the group photo before President Xi met with Hun Sen. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter Fan Kai)

3. New positioning and new connotation

On the eve of President Xi Jinping's trip to Southeast Asia, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry revealed when introducing the main arrangements and related expectations of the visit that China and Cambodia will explore a new positioning for enhancing China-Cambodia relations.

On the afternoon of the 17th, when President Xi held talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Honmanai, the leaders of the two countries agreed to work together to build a community of shared future between China and Cambodia in the new era.

Video: Xi Jinping holds talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Honmane

China and Cambodia have always been at the forefront of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

In October 2016, during President Xi’s visit to Cambodia, the leaders of the two countries unanimously decided that China and Cambodia would continue to be good friends with high mutual trust, good partners with mutual trust, and a community of shared future related to weal and woe. In 2019, Cambodia became the first country to sign an action plan with China to build a community with a shared future. In 2023, China and Cambodia signed a new version of the China-Cambodia Community of Shared Future Action Plan.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by CCTV reporter Yang Xinyu)

Work together to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, give China-Cambodia a new era connotation, and promote the construction of China-Cambodia community with a shared future to a new level.

During his talks with Prime Minister Honmanai, President Xi said that the two sides should take the construction of a new era of all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future as a new starting point, seize the opportunity, and continue to implement the new version of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future.

After the talks, the two sides issued the "Joint Statement of the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Cambodia on Building an all-weather community of shared future in the new era and implementing the three major global initiatives."

President Xi and Hongmanai were on the scene before the talks. (Photo by Zhou Zhiguo, CCTV reporter of CCTV)

Cambodian leaders highly praised the new positioning of China-Cambodia relations.

Hun Sen said that the two countries have decided to build an all-weather community with a shared future in the new era, take the lead in a step further, promote the high-level, high-quality and high-standard development of bilateral relations, and always work together, share the same destiny with each other.

Two countries flags and slogans on the streets of Phnom Penh. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter E Jiefu)

4. Unity and cooperation to meet challenges

Cooperation is another high-frequency word during President Xi Jinping's visit.

In 2023, when meeting with then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, President Xi Jinping proposed that the two sides can start from the six major areas of politics, production capacity, agriculture, energy, security, and humanities, and strive to build a "diamond six-side" cooperation structure between China and Cambodia.

In the signed article published on this visit, President Xi proposed "five higher": deepening higher levels of political mutual trust, expanding higher quality mutually beneficial cooperation, building higher-level security guarantees, carrying out higher frequency of cultural exchanges, and strengthening higher standards of strategic cooperation. This is a "construction drawing" that makes the "Diamond Six-Side" cooperation more brilliant and sturdy.

Streets of Phnom Penh. (Photo taken by Pan Yi, a reporter from China Central Radio and Television)

During the talks with Prime Minister Honmanai, President Xi stressed that the two sides should vigorously promote high-quality cooperation in jointly building the "Belt and Road" and continuously enrich the "Diamond Six-Side" cooperation structure to inject new impetus into their respective modernization construction.

After the talks, the leaders of the two countries jointly witnessed the exchange of more than 30 bilateral cooperation texts between China and Cambodia, covering areas such as production and supply chain cooperation, artificial intelligence, development assistance, customs inspection and quarantine, health, and news.

The site of the text exchange ceremony of China-Cambodia cooperation. (Photo taken by Yang Lifeng, CCTV reporter)

Strengthening coordination and cooperation and meeting risks and challenges together is the inherent meaning of working together to build an all-weather community of shared future between China and Cambodia in the new era.

When meeting with Hun Sen, President Xi said that the trade war undermines the multilateral trading system and impacts the world economic order. All countries should unite and firmly grasp the dominance of national security and development in their own hands.

Hun Sen said that the trade war and tariff war harmed the legitimate interests of all countries and caused turmoil in the international situation. Cambodia is willing to strengthen cooperation with China and work together to deal with various risks and challenges.

Cambodia Independence Monument. (Photo taken by CCTV reporter E Jiefu)

During talks with Prime Minister Honmanai, President Xi pointed out that as an important force in the global south, China and Cambodia must adhere to the common value pursuit of peace, unity and cooperation, oppose all unilateral bullying, and practice true multilateralism.

Hongmanai said that in the situation where unilateralism caused turmoil in the world and the multilateral trading system was impacted, China played a leading role and provided valuable stability for the world. Cambodia is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to safeguard the common interests of both sides.

"The ancient friendship is like real gold, and it will never return after a hundred refined colors." On the journey of working together to build an all-weather community of shared future in the new era, the iron-core friendship between the two countries will become deeper and indestructible.

Producer丨Shen Yong and Gong Xuehui

Chief writer丨Qin Si

Reporter丨Li Jie, Ma Lifei, Liu Qi, Fan Yiming, E Jiefu, Li Zengren, Jiang Shuo, Liu Huimin, Wu Qian, Cheng Cheng, Xie Xiaoguang, Li Xueyao, Gao Xinyi, Zhou Jinglin

Vision丨Chen Kuo and Zhang Jing