A launching ceremony for the "Beautiful Cambodia, Beautiful China" photo exhibition tour was held here in northwest Cambodia's cultural province on Sunday, captivating scores of visitors.
A total of 66 exquisite photos, 33 each from Cambodia and China, featuring natural scenery, historical heritage, cultural splendor, artistic diversity, urban development, and modern lifestyles are on display at the event.
Under the theme of New Era for Cambodia-China Community with a Shared Future, the photo exhibition tour will be held from September to December 2024 in multiple cities in Cambodia and China.
Organized by the China International Communications Group (CICG) Center for Europe and Asia and ASEAN Top News, in collaboration with the CICG, the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia and the Cambodian Ministry of Tourism, the event was designed to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the Cambodia-China diplomatic relations and the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year.
Cambodian Minister of Tourism Sok Soken said the exhibition will further deepen cultural ties and bonds of friendship between the people of the two countries, injecting fresh vitality into building a Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.
"Through this photo exhibition tour, we will be able to promote the culture, traditions and tourism potential of our two countries," he said at the launching event. "It will also contribute further to boosting relations, tourism cooperation and cultural exchange between Cambodia and China."
Soken said the event would also contribute to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
China and Cambodia are best friends who have always helped each other in all circumstances, he said, adding that the people of both countries have many similarities and long-standing connections in history, especially in terms of tradition, customs and culture.
The minister said that through the transcripts of Chinese envoy Zhou Daguan, who visited Cambodia during the Angkor period in the late 13th century, many historians have learned that the two countries have a deep interactive relationship in history and diplomacy.
He added that the relationship between Cambodia and China has been closely linked since ancient times and has been nurtured by generations of leaders until the present day.
Tourism is one of the four main pillars supporting Cambodia's economic growth, contributing nearly 13 percent to the Southeast Asian country's gross domestic product and creating numerous direct and indirect jobs for locals.
Soken said that during the first seven months of 2024, Cambodia received 3.75 million international tourists, an increase of 23.2 percent. Of the number, approximately 460,000 were Chinese tourists, representing a rise of 45.7 percent.
"In this regard, the future of Cambodia's tourism industry is inseparable from the inflows of Chinese tourists and investors," he said, adding that Cambodia has a good and sustainable business environment for Chinese investors.
The minister said that the growth of Chinese tourists is an important opportunity not only to boost tourism development but also to create investment opportunities in other sectors.
"Cambodia and many countries around the world have regarded China as a strategic partner and the most important source of market for their economic growth and national development," he said.
Siem Reap Provincial Deputy Governor Dy Rado said he was pleased to see the photo exhibition tour launch in Siem Reap province, which is Cambodia's tourist hub and home to the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park.
"This photo exhibition tour has provided an opportunity for us to showcase the natural beauty, economic development, cultural heritage, tourism resources, and urban images of both Cambodia and China," he said at the event, adding that the event would further contribute to the development of Cambodia's tourism industry.
The deputy governor highlighted the close relationship between Cambodia and China, which was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2010 and then dubbed the "iron-clad" friendship.
"Cambodia has always supported China's foreign policy, especially the one-China principle and the BRI," he said.