BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has declared his support and thanks to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen for publicly stating, "If I do not rely on China, who should I rely on?". Xi subsequently also announced a grant of more than US $44 million from China to Cambodia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made this statement on Friday morning, 10 February 2023, in Beijing, during a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen, which lasted more than an hour and 40 minutes. He affirmed that China supports Cambodia's position on having an independent policy and thanked Prime Minister Hun Sen for publicly stating his reliance on China.

The Chinese President also announced a grant of 300 million yuan (US $44 million) for a Cambodian Railway project to help improve the living standards of the Cambodian people. President Xi also agreed to boost the 'diamond' cooperation between China and Cambodia, to raise the two countries' relations to a new level.

Prime Minister Hun Sen, in turn, thanked China for assuring Cambodia's independence, sovereignty and progress, and for supporting the ASEAN Summit hosted by Cambodia in 2022.

He added that China's support not only contributes to Cambodia's progress, but also contributes to the strengthening of Cambodia's independence on the international stage.

During the meeting, the two leaders praised the bilateral relations between the two countries, which have gone from the level of a comprehensive cooperation to a full-fledged iron friendship based on a common destiny.

The two leaders have expressed a desire to continue strengthening the spirit of building a single community with the same destiny focusing on six areas: Politics and diplomacy, production capacity, textiles, agriculture, energy, security, people-to-people contacts, and the promotion of the health sector in Cambodia.