Chinese president, wife meet Cambodian king, queen mother

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st R) meet with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (2nd L) and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan on Friday met with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk in Beijing.

Xi said China highly treasures the deep friendship with King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monineath and is grateful for their letter of sympathy and generous donations following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Noting that King Sihamoni has just concluded his journey to Yan'an, a city in Shaanxi Province that Cambodian King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Queen Mother Monineath visited 50 years ago, Xi said the trip carries forward and promotes friendship.

Xi commended Queen Mother Monineath's special and important contributions to the ever-lasting friendship as well as cooperation and exchanges across the board between the two countries.

Xi said he awarded the Queen Mother the Friendship Medal today to highly appreciate her special and important contributions to bilateral ties and to promote the deep friendship between the two peoples.

He called on the two sides to continue to elevate their comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation to new highs.

For his part, King Sihamoni expressed his gratitude to Xi and his wife for the grand treatment, saying he and his mother are deeply touched by the Chinese people's profound friendship with the Cambodian people.

Sihamoni said that after travelling to Yan'an, Shaanxi, he sincerely admired the great achievements made by the persevering and hard-working Chinese people under the leadership of the Communist Party of China and deeply appreciated President Xi's people-centered vision.

He expressed willingness to work with Xi to carry forward the friendship forged by leaders of the older generation from the two countries and open a new chapter of Cambodia-China friendship and cooperation.

Sihamoni expressed his sincere hope that China would achieve new and greater development under the leadership of Xi.

Queen Mother Monineath said she and King Father Sihanouk are the Chinese people's loyal and good friends.

"In more than 60 years, I've visited China many times, and every time I visit China, I can feel the rapid development and changes that take place here," she said.

"President Xi awarded me the Friendship Medal, and I am deeply moved," she said, vowing to continue to work for friendship between the two countries.