Kratie: The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, announced he welcomes Chinese tourists to Cambodia again after the country reopened its borders, hoping to help Cambodia's economic growth.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a bridge across the Mekong River in Kratie province on the morning of January 2, 2023, Hun Sen announced "inviting the Chinese people to Cambodia" to benefit the Cambodian economy.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said: "You (other countries) can have tighter restrictions for China, but Cambodia welcomes china because they provide benefits to Cambodia. “If Chinese tourists fly dozens of flights every day, it will boost Cambodia's economic growth and improve agriculture and other industries."

In 2019, before the outbreak of Covid-19, more than 6 million tourists were visiting Cambodia and most of them were Chinese tourists.