"The friendship has benefited my country and the Cambodian people," he said before he leaves here for home on Monday after his medical examination.

While Cambodia was ravaged by years of war, Chinese leaders and people provided immeasurable and unconditional help, he said, including helping Cambodians to defend themselves against foreign aggression, win their liberation and promote industrialization.

The king recalled the late Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai's visit to Cambodia, when crowds of people lined the roads from the airport to Phnom Penh to greet him.

"Although at that time, diplomatic ties between the two countries had not been forged, the Cambodian people extended the warmest welcome to a foreign government leader in history," he said.

Sihanouk had contributed to Sino-Cambodian friendly relations and supported China in international affairs. "As Cambodia's head of state, I have stated several times at the UN General Assembly that there is only one China and Tibet is an inseparable part of China.

"The Cambodian people have supported their Chinese friends in the past and will continue to support them in the future whenever there is the need," he said.

"I'm honored and fortunate to be a friend of Chinese leaders of three generations and now I'm so happy to make friends with Chinese leaders of the new generation," he said, recalling how Deng Xiaoping held a Sichuan banquet to celebrate his birthday.

The king praised Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, saying they were heroes who liberated and revitalized China. "Through their leadership, China has become an important country among the world powers," he said.

The 81-year-old Cambodian King came to China every year for a health check. "Cambodian people always attribute my longevity to the expertise of Chinese doctors and the hospitality of the Chinese people."

He added, "The modernization drive of China has drawn world attention and the development of transportation in China has left a deep impression on me.

"I'm also amazed at the freedom and happiness of the Chinese people."

In Cambodia, Sihanouk followed the development of China through CCTV and read China Daily.

He showed his concern on a series of important meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in June, in which China participated, "I'm happy to see that China and the friendly ASEAN member countries are making joint efforts for peace, stability and development of this region and the world at large."

China made consistent efforts to safeguard the ideal that all states, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, were equal members of the international community and had equal rights to freedom and peace, he stressed.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2003)