China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Cambodia on the last leg of his three-country tour of Southeast Asia, which has seen him double down on earlier calls to oppose hegemonism and resist protectionism in the face of rising trade frictions with the US.
In an unprecedented change to protocol, Xi was received personally at the airport by Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia. The two had previously met in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou in September 2023 for the opening of the Asian Games.
In a written speech delivered at the airport, Xi said China’s relations with Cambodia had withstood the test of international changes and been “as solid as a rock”. He added that the two countries were united in the defence of international fairness and justice.
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“China regards Cambodia as a key direction of its neighbourhood diplomacy,” Xi said, adding that China looked forward to strengthening political mutual trust, cooperation, and strategic cooperation with Cambodia to contribute to regional and world stability.
In an article published in several Cambodian media outlets ahead of his arrival on Thursday, Xi said the two countries had forged an “ironclad” friendship, supporting each other in their core interests and working together to defend international justice when confronted with complex regional and global situations.
“As the world undergoes a century of rapid change, Asia stands at a new starting point for achieving overall revitalisation,” he wrote, adding that China would maintain its policy of strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries.
Xi noted that cooperation in industrial and supply chains between the two Asian neighbours continued to deepen, and that China had long been Cambodia’s largest trading partner and biggest source of investment.
In the article, the Chinese leader called for the two countries to deepen mutual trust and strategic communication in areas including diplomacy and defence, saying they should oppose “external forces” that were interfering in internal affairs and sowing discord.
“We should jointly oppose hegemonism, power politics and bloc confrontation, defend the common interests of the two countries and developing countries, advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world ... jointly resist protectionism and maintain an open and cooperative international environment,” he said.
The remarks echoed similar calls Xi made earlier, in Vietnam and Malaysia – the first two stops on regional trip, which is set to end in Cambodia on Friday.
On Monday, he urged China and Vietnam to safeguard multilateralism and the international order, similarly saying they should jointly oppose hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism.
And in Malaysia on Wednesday, Xi said China and Malaysia would stand with countries in the region to fight camp-based confrontation to “safeguard the bright prospects of our Asian family”.
Xi’s message to Southeast Asia came as Beijing accelerated efforts to pull its neighbours closer as it battled a deepening trade war with Washington.
US President Donald Trump has put in place a 90-day pause on his “reciprocal” levies on economies in the region but he has raised duties on most Chinese imports up to 145 per cent, raising fears that the world’s two largest economies will decouple.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration plans to use tariff negotiations to pressure trading partners to limit their dealings with China, including disallowing Chinese companies to ship goods through their countries.
Several Southeast Asian economies, including Vietnam, have typically been key routes for Chinese exports to the US.
According to the itinerary released by China’s foreign ministry last week, Xi will hold talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. They are expected to discuss political mutual trust, cooperation, and strategic coordination.
Cambodian media reported that Hun described Xi’s visit as underscoring the importance and strength of bilateral relations. He also touted the ties between the two countries as “historical and enduring”.
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