Cambodian officials pledge to further promote cultural, people-to-people ties with China

Source:Xinhua Published: 2014-9-16 16:13:35

Senior Cambodian officials on Tuesday vowed to further enhance cultural and people-to-people relations between Cambodia and China for the benefits of the two countries and peoples.

"Cambodia supports all activities to broaden cultural ties with China," Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said during a meeting with Yu Zhou, deputy chief of Third Department of Beijing People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

"Cambodia and China are good brothers, friends and neighbors," she said. "A lot of Chinese expatriates are living and doing businesses in Cambodia, and they get along with the Cambodian people."

The minister pledged to further strengthen cultural ties with China, stressing that culture would bring closer relations between the two peoples.

For her part, Yu Zhou said she led an 8-member delegation to visit Cambodia in order to explore possibilities to further promote cultural and people-to-people relations.

Earlier in the day, Yu Zhou met with Cambodia's Constitutional Council President Ek Sam Ol, who is also president of the Cambodia- China Friendship Association.

In the meeting, Ek Sam Ol spoke highly of excellent ties between the Cambodian government and the Chinese government and emphasized the need to further develop cultural and people-to- people relations.

"We have been encouraging youths to actively contribute to maintaining and promoting relations with China, and we believe that the ties between our two countries will be stronger in next generations," he said.

Cambodia-China diplomatic relations were established in 1958 by Cambodia's late King-Father Norodom Sihanouk and former Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Since then, the ties have been steadily maintained and developed by the leaders of the two countries from one generation to another.

Yu Zhou and her delegation arrived in Cambodia on Monday for a three-day visit. The delegation, which includes artists, also visited the Royal University of Fine Arts on Tuesday afternoon to exchange experience with Cambodian professors and students on calligraphy and painting.

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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