Beijing and Phnom Penh Establish Friendly City Relations

Beijing and Phnom Penh Signed the Agreement on Establishing Friendly City Relations on 21st of this month.

According to the agreement, Beijing and Phnom Penh will communicate and cooperate in a range of fields, including economy, trade, environment protection, tourism, technology, culture, education, sports etc., to facilitate a shared prosperity and development, and to follow the principle of mutual benefit.

Qi Jing, Member of the Standing Committee of Beijing Municipal Party Committee, Deputy Director of United Front Work Department of Beijing Municipality, said that as the capitals of the two countries, Beijing and Phnom Penh have witnessed increasingly frequent exchanges at all levels and deepening cooperation in various fields in recent years. We are ready to take the opportunity of the two cities establishing friendly relations to conduct close exchanges, open a new chapter of comprehensive and practical cooperation between the two cities in the next step, and contribute to the long-term friendship between China and Cambodia on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

Kun Sheng, the Mayor of Phnom Phen, spoke highly of the friendly relations and cooperation between Cambodia and China, and expressed his appreciation for all the supports that China offers. He said that the establishment of a friendly city relationship between Phnom Penh and Beijing will further enhance the comprehensive cooperation between the two cities.

On the same day, Cambodia-China Beijing Chamber of Commerce was formally established in Phnom Penh. Qi Jing said that Beijing entrepreneurs are important participants and practitioners of friendly exchanges between China and Cambodia, and the establishment of the chamber of commerce has set up an important platform for contacts and exchanges between enterprises in Cambodia and Beijing.

Beijing has jurisdiction over 16 districts with a total area of 16,410 square kilometers. By the end of 2017, the permanent resident population was about 21.7 million. According to the city government's website, Phnom Penh has a population of about 1.5 million, 678 square kilometers and is the largest city of Cambodia.