Phnom Penh (FN), Aug. 8 – Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, stated that through China-Cambodia People-to-people Exchange Year 2024, the two peoples will become closer and closer in the building of a community with a shared future.

Ambassador Wang spoke in an interview with Fresh News on the occasion of “Tea for Harmony Yaji Cultural Salon” held at the Royal University of Fine Arts on 7 August 2024.

“Designating 2024 as the "China Cambodia Cultural Exchange Year" is an important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries with a focus on the long-term development of China-Cambodia relations. It is of great significance for enriching the Diamond Hexagon Cooperation Framework and promoting the construction of a community with a shared future between China and Cambodia,” stated Ambassador Wang.

Ambassador Wang was pleased to see that for the first time in the middle of this year, a national level art group from Cambodia jointly performed in the Angkor archaeological site, opening a wonderful prelude to the Year of Exchange; local groups visited Cambodia one after another, and events such as "Shaolin Meets Angkor" took turns to appear; tourism cooperation continues to strengthen, with a 45% increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia in the first half of the year compared to the same period last year; multiple batches of Chinese journalists have come to Cambodia to gather information, and the related programs have sparked a warm response in China; health cooperation continues to benefit people's livelihoods, and the Hong Kong Shared Foundation has completed the "Project to Eliminate Cataract Blindness" in Prey Veng Province, Cambodia, bringing light back to nearly 3900 Cambodian people."

According to the Chinese ambassador, in the second half of the year, China is willing to continue to carry out more cultural exchange activities with the Cambodian side. He also supported the organisation of a youth dialogue between China and Cambodia to enhance mutual understanding between the "Generation Z" of the two countries. The "China-Cambodia in the Same Performance" will be simultaneously held in both countries, allowing more people to appreciate each other's magnificent scenery and splendid culture.

Both sides will also hold the “China Cambodia Friendship City Conference” to deepen practical cooperation at the local level, and promote the resumption of operation of the Phnom Penh Chinese Cultural Center as soon as possible, so that more Cambodian people can experience Chinese culture without leaving the country. In addition, both countries will also continue to promote cooperation in education, cultural heritage protection, health care and other fields, further deepen the friendship between the two peoples and enhance the well-being of the two peoples.

During the interview, Ambassador Wang Wenbin expressed his hope that through the activities of the Year of Cultural Exchanges, the two peoples will become closer and closer, lay a more solid foundation for China-Cambodia ironclad friendship, and inject more powerful impetus into the construction of a community of shared future between China and Cambodia in the new era.

The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched in January in Siem Reap province, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples.

The traditional friendship between China and Cambodia has a long history, and cultural exchanges play an indispensable role as a bridge and bond. The current China-Cambodia relations have entered a new era of building a high-quality, high-level, and high standard China-Cambodia community with a shared future, and cultural exchanges between the two countries are also taking a new step forward.
=FRESH NEWS