Xi meets Cambodian leader as part of regional diplomatic blitz

PHNOM PENH: Chinese President Xi Jinping met the Cambodian premier in Phnom Penh on Thursday on the final leg of a Southeast Asia tour in which he sought to strengthen regional trade ties.

Xi arrived in the Cambodian capital after visiting Vietnam and Malaysia, as Beijing seeks to build ties and offset the impact of huge tariffs imposed by his US counterpart Donald Trump.

Former Cambodian leader Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, shared posts on their social media accounts showing them meeting with Xi.

The two countries exchanged 37 agreements on a wide range of areas, including water resources and agriculture, Hun Manet wrote on Facebook.

China is Cambodia’s biggest trading partner and source of investment, and more than a third of Cambodia’s $11 billion in foreign debt is owed to Beijing, according to the International Monetary Fund. Earlier in the day, the Chinese leader was greeted by King Norodom Sihamoni during a military welcome ceremony after he touched down in Phnom Penh.

Xi told the monarch their two nations “set a model for equality, mutual trust and win-win cooperation between countries of different sizes”, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Phnom Penh is also among Beijing’s most reliable supporters in Asia. Hun Manet had described Xi’s visit as a display of “iron-clad” friendship.

He said in a video posted on Wednesday that the two countries had “common interests based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, equality, and non-interference in internal affairs”.

He also said China had played a “pivotal role” in Cambodia’s socio-economic development.