BEIJING: Cai Qi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee, reaffirmed his willingness to continue to support the Hun Manet administration’s Pentagon Strategy.

The Chinese politician met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 17, 2023.

During the meeting, Cai Qi welcomed the presence of the Prime Minister and his delegation, noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of Cambodia-China diplomatic ties, which he said are strong as steel. He expressed confidence that the new administration under Hun Manet’s leadership will help strengthen the common destiny shared between the two countries.

The Chinese politician went on to laud the achievements of the Belt and Road initiative enjoyed by Cambodia over the last ten years including the development of Preah Vihear Special Economic Zone, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, the Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport and the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway, which is currently under construction.

Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked Cai Qi for taking the time to meet with the Royal Government of Cambodia and noted that this was his second official visit to China since he took office in August, a reflection of Cambodia's willingness to further strengthen cooperation with China.

He agreed Cai Qi in highly valuing the relations between the two countries over the past 65 years and noted the importance of further strengthening and expanding both bilaterally and internationally.

He also stressed the importance of their "Diamond Cooperation”, which focusing on six priority areas: politics, quality and production capacity, agriculture, energy, security and people-to-people exchanges.

The two leaders also discussed strengthening relations between the Chinese Communist Party and the Cambodian People’s Party through senior leadership visits and youth exchanges to ensure that relations between the two countries are strong and enduring.