Interview: Xi's visit draws strategic blueprint for long-term, multifaceted win-win cooperation with Cambodia, expert

PHNOM PENH -- President Xi Jinping's recent state visit to Cambodia has produced fruitful outcomes, drawing a strategic blueprint for long-term, multifaceted win-win cooperation between the two countries, a Cambodian expert has said.

Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told Xinhua in a recent interview that Xi's state visit to Cambodia yielded substantial and far-reaching outcomes, ushering in a new chapter in the iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China.

A landmark highlight of the visit was a joint statement by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Xi to upgrade bilateral ties to an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era.

"The outcomes of the visit have not only reinforced strategic political trust, but also mapped out a practical and forward-looking roadmap for comprehensive bilateral cooperation," he said.

The outcomes also aimed to continuously enrich the "Diamond Hexagon" cooperation framework and forge greater synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Cambodia's Pentagonal Strategy.

Phea said the outcomes have offered concrete steps to implement China's three major global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and the Global Civilization Initiative.

He said that under the GDI, the visit's outcomes fast-tracked key initiatives such as the Industrial Development Corridor and the Fish and Rice Corridor, both essential to Cambodia's economic transformation.

"These outcomes have also given strong support to Cambodia's ambitious goals of becoming an upper-middle-income status by 2030 and high-income status by 2050," he said.

Xi's visit resulted in the signing of a number of bilateral cooperation documents.

"These fruitful results have injected more vigorous momentum into the development of trade, infrastructure, digital economy, green growth, security, education and health," Phea said.

According to the joint statement, the Chinese side supports Cambodia in developing Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management Project under the principle of feasibility and sustainability.

Phea said Cambodia expresses deep appreciation to China for supporting the project, which has long been seen as Cambodia's century-old dream.

Phea said China also pledged to help strengthen Cambodia's clean energy capabilities, including hydropower, solar and wind energy.

On the security front, the two countries stress their commitment to upholding the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Phea said the two countries emphasized peaceful dispute resolution, regional stability and concrete cooperation under the GSI, which would reinforce Cambodia's growing role in regional peace-building and multilateral diplomacy.

Phea said cultural ties between the two countries have achieved fruitful results, notably the celebration of the China-Cambodia People-to-People Exchange Year in 2024 and the designation of 2025 as the China-Cambodia Year of Tourism to revitalize tourism and deepen people-to-people bonds.

"Ongoing efforts to restore Cambodia's cultural heritage — such as at Angkor and Preah Vihear — reflect a strong civilizational partnership," he said. "Further cooperation in education, vocational training, Chinese language teaching, healthcare and traditional medicine illustrates the multifaceted scope of bilateral engagement."

Phea said that more importantly, both countries reaffirmed the value of think tank cooperation and pledged continued support for the Cambodia-China Think Tank High-Level Forum.

This initiative aims to deepen scholarly collaboration and provide informed policy dialogue to support long-term bilateral development, he added.

"The outcomes of President Xi's visit not only laid a solid foundation for deepening bilateral ties, but also elevated Cambodia's developmental aspirations and global profile," he said.

"By integrating global initiatives with Cambodia's national strategy, the visit has opened new avenues for shared prosperity, sustainable development and regional peace," he said. "It stands as a testament to the enduring iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China and offers a model for constructive South-South cooperation in the new era."