On 30 Jan, 2019, the opening ceremony of the 2019 China-Cambodia Culture and Tourism Year was held in Phnom Penh, which was attended and addressed by H.E. Luo Shugang, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China and H.E. Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, on behalf of Premier Li Keqiang of China, and Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia. H.E. Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia, H.E. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, and H.E. Wang Wentian, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, were also in attendance.
Premier Li Keqiang noted in the greetings that to hold the 2019 China-Cambodia Culture and Tourism Year is a significant consensus reached with Prime Minister Hun Sen during his recent visit to China. He hoped that both sides could take the opportunity to enhance cultural and people-to-people exchanges, cultivating more solid public and social foundation for the community of shared future between China and Cambodia.
Prime Minister Hun Sen noted that the China-Cambodia Culture and Tourism Year is significant for both sides to deepen friendly cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, achieve mutual benefits, and promote tourism. It will also create more opportunities for more Chinese citizens to travel and invest in Cambodia.
Ambassador Wang Wentian hoped that China and Cambodia could enhance exchanges with China-Cambodia Culture and Tourism Year as an opportunity, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between two peoples as a bond, in order to further develop the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia.