China has been a major contributor to safeguarding, preserving and developing the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, Cambodia's Tourism Minister Huot Hak said.

The 401-square-km Angkor park, the kingdom's most popular tourist destination, is home to 91 ancient temples, which had been built from the ninth to the 13th centuries.

Key temples include the Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Chau Say Tevoda, Ta Keo, Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm, and Phnom Bakheng, among others.

China had helped restore ruined temples in the park since 1997 by successfully restoring Chau Say Tevoda and Ta Keo. Currently, the Chinese experts have been restoring the Phimeanakas temple located inside the walled enclosure of the Royal Palace of the Angkor Thom.

Hak said China took the lead in providing scholars, architectural experts, archaeologists, and technicians to help restore and preserve ruined temples in the Angkor park.

"I'd like to thank the government and people of the People's Republic of China for sacrificing time, physical and mental energies, materials and budget to help preserve, protect and restore ancient temples in Cambodia's Angkor complex," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The minister praised the Chinese experts for helping restore ruined monuments in the Angkor park into their stunning original forms, saying that their great contributions were invaluable for the people of Cambodia.

"I'd like to express my profound gratitude and record the merits of the People's Republic of China, Chinese scholars, experts, and technicians in contributing actively to the mission of restoring, preserving and developing temples in this world heritage site," he said.

Hak said Cambodia has trust and confidence in China in helping restore the Phimeanakas temple within the Royal Palace of the Angkor Thom.

He added that China's aid has not only contributed to ensuring the sustainable development of ancient temples in the Angkor park, but also helped train Cambodian experts and archaeologists on the work of safeguarding and preserving ancient temples.

The Angkor park attracted a total of 1.02 million international tourists in 2024, generating a gross revenue of 47.8 million U.S. dollars from ticket sales, according to the state-owned Angkor Enterprise.

Speaking of Cambodia-China cooperation in the tourism sector, Hak said China is also a key supporter for tourism development in the Southeast Asian country, adding that Chinese-invested mega-infrastructure projects, such as the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway and the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, have laid a solid foundation for the kingdom's development of economy and tourism.

Sharing his view on building a community with a shared future for mankind, Hak said any initiative launched by China always aims to provide common interest for the whole world and help make the world more harmonious with shared prosperity and common development.

"Cambodia and other countries alike are really happy to welcome and fully support it because this initiative is global in nature for common interest and win-win results for all," he said.