BEIJING: The Chinese and Cambodian prime ministers agreed to designate 2024 as the year of people-to-people exchanges in order to promote tourism and inter-country connectivity.

The pledge was made during a meeting between Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on the sidelines of the Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on October 17.

Li Qiang welcomed the presence of PM Hun Manet and his delegation for the second time this year in China, the year of the 65th anniversary of official Cambodia-China diplomatic ties.

The Chinese Prime Minister highlighted the achievements of good cooperation between the two countries on various projects, especially the official opening of the new international airport in Siem Reap on October 16, as well as the signing of multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) related to a number of projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

In response, Hun Manet thanked the Chinese Communist Party and its government for the warm welcome and was pleased to meet with Li Qiang for the fourth time in the past few months. He also thanked the Chinese government for arranging the recent health visit for Cambodia’s king and queen mother.

He also congratulated China on the success of the 19th Asian Games in China and expressed his condolences over the loss of four Chinese people and two missing in Israel. Regarding the progress of bilateral cooperation between Cambodia and China, the PM expressed his satisfaction with the achievement of the signing of eight MOUs, which will help further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

The two leaders also discussed the direction of cooperation in other areas, including investment, agriculture, trade, education, sports, defense, health and the construction of physical infrastructure within the framework of Belt and Road Initiative.