PHNOM PENH: Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, yesterday confirmed his trip to China, during the 26th ASEAN-China Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Addressing the summit, PM Hun Manet said that he will attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning and pay a visit to Beijing for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Summit.

Cambodia recognized the common interests of the nearly three-decade of good relations between China and ASEAN, he underlined.

BRI has provided many benefits for Cambodia, especially in the field of transport and logistics, such as the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, which is an example of the achievements of this initiative, he added.

The PM also took note of the importance of tourism as a key driver of economic growth, but this sector remains in a low-level situation compared to the pre-COVID-19 era.

In this regard, Samdech Thipadei stressed the need for ASEAN to promote the effective implementation of the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on Tourism Cooperation.

The 26th ASEAN-China Summit was chaired by H.E. Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia and Chair of ASEAN for 2023, and Chinese Prime Minister H.E. Li Qiang. AKP