In his speech, Liu Jianchao said that the year 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of China-Cambodia diplomatic relations and also the “China-Cambodia Friendship Year”. Over the past 65 years, China and Cambodia have forged an unbreakable and profound friendship. Especially in the past decade, under the strategic guidance and personal instruction of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Samdech Techo Hun Sen, CPP President, the mutual political trust and practical cooperation between the two Parties and the two countries have been continuously strengthened, ushering China-Cambodia friendship into the best period in history. Standing at a new starting point in history, China-Cambodia relations are facing new significant opportunities. Young people from both China and Cambodia are shouldering heavy responsibilities. He hoped that young people from the two countries could stay true to the mission and the original aspiration of China-Cambodia friendship, carry forward the tradition of mutual assistance and firmly support each other’s core interests, so as to break new ground in inter-party exchanges. The Chinese side will actively support the Cambodian side in many aspects through the important platform of the Youth House for Cambodia-China Friendship, helping the Cambodian side promote the capacity building of its young people.

Liu Jianchao said that the Chinese side is glad to see that under the correct leadership of the CPP with Samdech Techo Hun Sen as the CPP President, Cambodia has maintained political stability, achieved remarkable results in pandemic prevention and control, accelerated economic and social recovery, continued to improve people’s livelihood and constantly increased its international standing. He sincerely wished Cambodia a prosperous future and its people a happy life, and hoped that Cambodia will make new and greater contributions to regional stability and development.

Hun Manet said that Cambodia and China are comprehensive cooperative strategic partners and a community with a shared future. The two countries are ironclad friends who have stood the test of time and international vicissitudes and have been firmly supporting each other in the battle against COVID-19. The Cambodian side thanks China for assistance including anti-epidemic supplies and vaccines. Recently, the Chinese side has adjusted its policy on pandemic prevention and control. The Cambodian side believes the policy adjustment is a scientific, prudent and correct decision that the Chinese side has made after a comprehensive consideration of the virus mutations and its national reality, and has taken the experience of other countries into consideration. It fully demonstrates China’s commitment to putting people and life first, protecting the life and health of its people to the greatest extent possible. At present, the two sides maintain close high-level exchanges. The CPP cherishes the traditional friendship with the CPC and is willing to take the Youth House for Cambodia-China Friendship as an opportunity to deepen the exchanges and cooperation between both Parties in areas including youth, innovation, economy and trade, to strive for greater development of the relations between the two countries.

The Youth House for Cambodia-China Friendship is co-organized by the China Foundation for Peace and Development and the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF) of Cambodia. Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, Guo Yezhou, Vice-minister of the IDCPC, Suos Yara, First Vice Chairman of the External Relations Commission of the CPP and Chairman of the Fifth Committee of the National Assembly of Cambodia, and Kim Rithy, Permanent Member and Director for National International Relation and Cooperation of Central Youth of the Cambodian People’s Party and head of the project team of the Youth House for Cambodia-China Friendship were present.

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