On visit to Beijing, Cambodia's Hun Sen meets China's Xi; cement close ties between two Asian countries

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands on the sidelines of a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. Hun Sen met Friday with Xi Jinping on a visit to his ally that underscores increasingly close ties between the two Asian countries. - AP

BEIJING, Feb 10 (AP): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping on a visit to his ally that underscores increasingly close ties between the two Asian countries.

Cambodia is a key Chinese diplomatic partner, helping dampen criticism of Beijing within the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), several of whose members are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.