Thousands of Chinese visit Cambodia to celebrate bilateral relations

One thousand Chinese visitors arrive in Cambodia to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Organized by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a total of 1,100 tourists from nine Chinese provinces and cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing and Yunnan, acted as friendly ambassadors in a visit to Cambodia to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

They are part of an event titled “Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between China and Cambodia — Thousands of Chinese Friendly Envoys Visit the Magic Kingdom of Cambodia.”

The Cambodian government is to hold a large-scale welcome banquet to welcome thousands of Chinese friends to visit. At the welcome dinner on June 30, the governor of Siem Reap province, leaders of Cambodian tourism and foreign affairs departments and leaders of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia will attend the welcome event as well.

In recent years, tourism cooperation between the two sides has been moving forward steadily, with remarkable results.

In May 2017, witnessed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen, the Implementation Plan for Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation (2017-2020) was signed in Beijing.

In May this year, the two sides successfully hosted the China-Cambodia Tourism Cooperation Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and discussed issues like tourism cooperation mechanisms, personnel training, tourism investment, tourism management experience and scenic spot market expansion.

In 2017, personal exchanges between China and Cambodia reached over 1.3 million people and kept up rapid growth. It is expected the number of mutual visits between the two countries will reach two million this year.

At present, 16 airlines have opened routes between the two countries and air traffic has become increasingly convenient.