Key points
- Xi lands in Cambodia after visiting Vietnam, Malaysia
- Cambodia expects more support on infrastructure
- China and Cambodia celebrate 67 years of diplomatic relations
ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Thursday, capping a three-stop tour of Southeast Asia.
Cambodia is betting on more financial support from China, including for infrastructure.
Phnom Penh is a close partner of China, which has invested billions of dollars in projects including roads and airports, and is the country’s largest creditor, according to Reuters.
Xi arrived after visiting Vietnam and Malaysia as Beijing seeks to strengthen regional trade ties and offset the impact of huge tariffs imposed by his US counterpart, Donald Trump.
The Chinese leader touched down at the airport in Phnom Penh on Thursday, where he was greeted by King Norodom Sihamoni during a military welcome ceremony.
Xi is scheduled to go to the palace on Thursday afternoon before holding meetings with former leader Hun Sen and his son, Prime Minister Hun Manet, according to official documents seen by AFP.
Biggest trading partner
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 China, according to the International Monetary Fund.
And Phnom Penh is among Beijing’s most reliable supporters in Asia –- Hun Manet on Wednesday described Xi’s visit as a display of “iron-clad” friendship.
In a video posted on Wednesday, he said 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 socioeconomic development.
READ ALSO: Xi Jinping Meets Malaysian Leaders Amid Regional Push to Counter US Tariffs
China and Cambodia this year celebrate 67 years of diplomatic relations, and on Thursday, the kingdom also commemorated 50 years since the fall of Phnom Penh to the Khmer Rouge.
Earlier this month, Trump announced tariffs of 49 per cent on Cambodia — among the highest of his sweeping import duties.
He then paused the levies for most countries for 90 days, reverting to the base tariff of 10 per cent.
“Mutual solution”
Hun Manet wrote a letter to Washington, “expressing Cambodia’s good faith to negotiate a mutual solution” and pledging to reduce its own tariffs on 19 categories of US goods, according to the commerce ministry.
Excluded from the 90-day pause is China, which Washington announced duties of up to 145 per cent on Chinese imports.
Beijing has called the taxes a “joke” and imposed retaliatory tolls of 125 per cent on American goods.
