Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (R) shakes hands with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi during their meeting in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on February 1, 2008.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong in Phnom Penh on Friday separately met with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on bilateral ties and cooperation.

Sihamoni reviewed the friendly cooperation and relations between the two countries, praised the achievements that China has scored, appreciated the help that China has extended to Cambodia and stressed the kingdom's adherence to the One-China Policy.

Yang told the king that China will deepen its friendly ties and cooperation with Cambodia in various fields and expressed his appreciation for the contributions that the royal family has done for the bilateral ties.

 
Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi (L, front) gestures to bid farewell to Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni (R Front) after their meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on February 1, 2008. 

Hun Sen said that the bilateral cooperation between China and Cambodia has born rich fruits, China's support has helped Cambodia improve its capability of independent development and the development of China is providing golden opportunities for the region.

Yang told the prime minister that the relations between China and Cambodia are stepping into a new era after years of exchange and cooperation. China highly appreciated Cambodia's adherence to the One-China Policy and expects to push the overall cooperative partnership between China and Cambodia to a higher level.

Meanwhile, Hor Namhong and Yang during their meeting reached four consensus to upgrade the bilateral ties and cooperation, namely maintenance of high-level exchanges and celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between both countries; expansion of economic and trade cooperation; improvement of exchange and cooperation in the fields of diplomacy, culture, sports, health and tourism; more coordination in regional and global issues.

Yang arrived in Phnom Penh on Thursday afternoon for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Hor Namhong.

This has been Yang's first visit to Cambodia since he became foreign minister in 2007.

Cambodia is the first stop of Yang's regional tour, which also includes Brunei and Australia.
 
(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2008)