Cultural show held in Phnom Penh to mark 65th anniversary of Cambodia-China ties, friendship year

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodian and Chinese artists on Saturday jointly performed traditional dances, music, acrobatics and martial arts here to celebrate the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the friendship year between the two countries.

Presented by artists from the Northwest Minzu University of China, the Royal University of Fine Arts and the Circus School of Cambodia, the glittering cultural show, held at the Chenla Theater, attracted some 600 spectators.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the show, Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said the performance was vital to further promoting cultural and tourism exchanges between the two nations.

"This is the first time that artists from China have come to perform in Cambodia since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

Sackona highly spoke of Cambodia-China relations, expressing her sincere thanks to China for having provided a great amount of aid to Cambodia for socioeconomic development and poverty reduction.

"The current Cambodia-China relations have reached the highest-ever level in our history. We are the best brothers, friends, and partners," she said.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian said the China-Cambodia friendly exchanges dated back to a thousand years ago, and since the establishment of diplomatic relations 65 years ago, both countries have always respected, supported and helped each other.

"Our two countries have forged an unbreakable ironclad friendship and our bilateral ties have become a role model for interstate relations," he said.

Wang said China attaches great importance to people-to-people and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

He added that Chinese tourists have been gradually returning to Cambodia after China optimized its anti-pandemic strategy and resumed its outbound group tours.

The show lasting two and a half hours presented diverse forms of art and each of the performances had drawn hearty rounds of applause from the audience.

"This is the first time I watched such a performance, which was amazing and vivid, and I could experience the richness of Chinese culture," a 27-year-old spectator Suon Pesith told Xinhua after watching the show.

"All artists, both Cambodians and Chinese, are very talented, and each show was wonderful," he said.