Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet visits country's close ally China on his 1st official trip abroad
Cambodia's new prime minister, Hun Manet, has arrived in Beijing on his first official trip abroad since taking office last month
BEIJING — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on Thursday on his first official trip abroad since taking office last month. The visit demonstrates his country's warm relations with China, Cambodia's closest political and economic ally.
Hun Manet was expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in the capital and to attend a weekend trade and investment expo in southern China, according to Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry.
A ministry statement said the two leaders would discuss tightening the nations' ties with the building of a “Cambodia-China Community,” strategic directions for their bilateral relations, and regional and international matters.
Chinese state broadcaster CGTN posted images of Hun Manet and his wife, Pich Chanmony, walking down the stairs from a plane to a red carpet on an airport tarmac, where they were greeted by two children, a Chinese official and others.
Hun Manet later laid a wreath at a monument in Beijing's Tiananmen Square that honors those who died fighting foreign invaders and in the protests and battles that brought China's ruling Communist Party to power in 1949.
Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner and supporter in regional and international forums. It helps dampen criticism of Beijing within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, several of whose members are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
China has gained important influence in Cambodian politics and its economy, as seen in the numerous Chinese-funded projects, hotels and casinos in the capital, Phnom Penh, and
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