Xi meets Cambodian prime minister

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Great Hall of the People on Friday.

Xi pointed out that Prime Minister Hun Manet chose China as the  destination for his first bilateral visit after taking office, which  fully demonstrates the great importance the new Cambodian government  attaches to consolidating and developing China-Cambodia friendship.

China  and Cambodia are ironclad friends, Xi said, adding that over the past  65 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties, the two sides have  always maintained a high degree of mutual trust, treated each other as  equals, achieved win-win results, and firmly supported each other in  safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

Xi  stressed that China firmly supports Cambodia in exploring a development  path suited to its national conditions, and stands ready to maintain  regular strategic communication with Cambodia and deepen the exchange of  governance experience.

He said the two sides should make good use  of the mechanism of the intergovernmental coordinating committee and  implement the new action plan for building a China-Cambodia community  with a shared future.

Xi also called on both sides to enrich the  China-Cambodia "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework, jointly build  the "Industrial Development Corridor" and the "Fish and Rice Corridor,"  and promote the early implementation of relevant key cooperation  projects.

China is willing to carry out regular law enforcement  and security cooperation with Cambodia and continue to crack down on  cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud, said Xi.

He  said the two sides should continue to host activities to celebrate the  "China-Cambodia Friendship Year" and expand cooperation in the fields of  youth, localities, education, tourism and health so that China-Cambodia  friendship will bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Xi  pointed out that no matter how the international and regional situation  may change, China is always Cambodia's most reliable friend and staunch  supporter, and that China stands ready to join hands with Cambodia to  uphold international fairness and justice and safeguard the legitimate  rights and interests of developing countries.

Hun Manet said that  he chose China as the destination for his first official visit to show  that the new Cambodian government will continue to firmly pursue a  friendly policy toward China and further carry forward the ironclad  friendship between Cambodia and China.

The prime minister said  Cambodia will abide by the one-China principle, firmly support China in  safeguarding its core interests, and support the Global Development  Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization  Initiative proposed by President Xi.

Cambodia appreciates China's  long-term strong support and assistance for Cambodia's economic and  social development, and is willing to work with China to implement the  important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, deepen  Belt and Road cooperation, and push for further development of bilateral  cooperation in industry, agriculture, investment, culture and other  fields under the "Diamond Hexagon" framework, Hun Manet said.

Hun  Manet noted that the Cambodian side is willing to closely cooperate with  China in regional and international affairs to push the bilateral ties  to a new height.

Wang Yi was present at the meeting.