Xi: Carry forward ironclad friendship

President Xi Jinping called on China and Cambodia to carry forward their ironclad friendship and work together to build an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future for the new era to deliver more benefits to the two countries and their peoples.

Xi said that China firmly supports the neighboring country's efforts in maintaining stability, accelerating development, improving people's livelihoods, and pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions.

He said that he believes Chinese modernization will bring more opportunities to neighboring countries including Cambodia.

Xi made the remarks when meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, as Xi arrived in the country, the last stop of his three-nation tour to Southeast Asia, on Thursday.

He was warmly welcomed by King Sihamoni, Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen and other senior officials during a grand welcoming ceremony held by the king at the airport.

More than 20,000 local people, along with representatives of overseas Chinese, Chinese-funded enterprises and Chinese students, lined the streets to warmly welcome the Chinese president.

Since China and Cambodia established diplomatic relations in 1958, their traditional friendship fostered by successive generations of Chinese and Cambodian leaders has been continuously advanced.

Xi said that China and Cambodia have firmly supported each other on issues related to their respective core interests and major concerns, and have set an example of equal treatment, sincere mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between countries of different sizes.