Jiang, Sihanouk Hail Sino-Cambodian Friendship
Jiang's remarks came in his meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk soon after he arrived here for a two-day state visit. As the first Chinese head of state to visit this neighboring country since 1963, Jiang, together with the Chinese delegation, was honored at a grand welcome ceremony hosted by the Cambodian royal family and almost all Cambodian leaders and senior officials at the airport. "We were overwhelmed by friendship and joy," Jiang told King Sihanouk as soon as he stepped onto Cambodian land. He said he deeply felt "the sentiments of the Cambodian people toward the Chinese people." King Sihanouk, in reply, said that Monday was "the festive occasion for our whole country" for "we welcome the most distinguished guest, President Jiang Zemin, from great China." A total of 180,000 Phnom Penh citizens lined the streets from the airport to the Royal Palace to welcome Jiang and the delegation. "In this way, we show our lofty respect and warm welcome," the king said. Jiang's visit is "of historic significance" and will "definitely promote the further growth of our traditional friendship," he said. King Sihanouk said the Cambodian people will never forget the "sincere and selfless assistance" from China "either in our fight for defending sovereignty or in the years of reconstruction." He availed himself of the opportunity to extend the "deepest gratitude" to China. Jiang said China and Cambodia, two friendly neighboring nations, have consistently sympathized with, supported and helped each other and their relationship has become a model for developing equal and mutually beneficial ties on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. He particularly praised the outstanding contributions of King Sihanouk to the consolidation and growth of Sino-Cambodian ties during the past decades and his personal friendship with three generations of Chinese leaders, saying such contributions have won great respect from the Chinese people. Jiang said China is delighted to see the growth of China-Cambodia ties in recent years and one of the key objectives of his visit is to further enhance such traditional friendly cooperation in the new century. China and Cambodia are to sign a joint statement and other documents later Monday to boost their cooperation. Jiang said the joint statement, which will serve as the guidance to the development of bilateral relations in the future, will point out the direction and cooperation areas in the new century. With the leadership of King Sihanouk, Jiang said, a peaceful and stable situation has emerged in Cambodia. "The new Cambodian government has scored noteworthy results in their work domestically and internationally thanks to its solidarity and cooperation," he said. As a good neighbor, friend and partner of Cambodia, Jiang said, China will consistently support King Sihanouk and the Cambodian people in safeguarding sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and maintaining the hard-won peaceful and stable situation. Jiang again expressed his sympathy with Cambodia, which suffered serious floods this year. He believed that under the leadership of King Sihanouk, the Cambodian people will overcome the temporary difficulties and make greater accomplishments in this land with a long and glorious civilization. King Sihanouk fully agreed with Jiang's remarks on Sino-Cambodian friendship and highly commended the achievements made by China in all aspects under the leadership of President Jiang. | |
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