Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Cambodia on Thursday for a two-day state visit, concluding a three-nation Southeast Asian tour that included stops in Vietnam and Malaysia meant to further strengthen Beijing's relations with the region.
Xi was greeted at the airport in Phnom Penh by King Norodom Sihamoni and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate President Hun Sen.
In a statement after his arrival on his presidential aircraft, an Air China Boeing 747, Xi said he was “delighted” to visit again.
“Cambodia is a priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy. China will unswervingly support Cambodia in upholding strategic autonomy and in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions,” he said.
Trade will likely be a major topic, as Cambodia faces one of the highest US tariff rates, as announced by US President Donald Trump. In addition to Trump's universal 10% tariff, the country faces the threat of a 49% tax on exports to the US once his 90-day pause expires.
Cambodia's rapid growth in recent years has been fueled mainly by China, which PM Manet has described as “an important and indispensable friend” and a "first-class partner country”.
China is Cambodia’s largest trading partner, surpassing $15 billion (€13.2bn) in 2024 and representing nearly 30% of Cambodia’s total trade volume, though significantly in Beijing’s favour.
China has been increasing its influence in the region over the past decade, largely by exercising its substantial economic leverage.
The visit comes on the 50th anniversary of the 1975 communist Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia, which imposed a reign of terror with Maoist-inspired policies.
The Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot and the rest of the regime's iron-fist rule resulted in a genocide and the deaths of between 1.5 and 2 million Cambodians, or nearly one-quarter of the country's population.
China was accused of being the main foreign backer of the Khmer Rouge. However, Beijing has rejected this, stating it doesn't meddle in any country's internal affairs, and such history is rarely discussed by either country.
