Xi hails 'iron-clad' ties with Cambodia

President Xi Jinping assured visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Friday that no matter how the international and regional situations evolve, China will always be Cambodia's most reliable friend and its firmest supporter.

While hailing the countries' "ironclad" friendship, high-level mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said China is willing to work together with Cambodia to jointly uphold international fairness and justice and protect the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. Hun Manet, who became Cambodia's prime minister last month, chose Beijing as the destination of his first official trip abroad, which, observers said, demonstrates his readiness to further strengthen the two countries' ties with the building of a Cambodia-China community with a shared future. Under former prime minister Hun Sen's leadership, bilateral ties maintained a good development momentum.

Over the past 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have always maintained a high level of mutual trust, treated each other as equals, and pursued mutually beneficial cooperation, Xi said to the new Cambodian prime minister.