By Liu Chunli

Cultural Exchanges Strengthen China-Cambodia Ties

By Liu Chunli

Distinguished guests attend the opening ceremony of the Chinese Book Exhibition 2016 in Phnom Penh.

On Oct. 10, at the Peace Book Center across the street from the National Assembly building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, an excited crowd of nearly 200 people witnessed the opening ceremony of the Chinese Book Exhibition 2016, an important event in China-Cambodia cultural exchange. Attendees included Tuo Zhen, vice minister of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo, secretary of State of the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts Khim Sarith, Director-General of the National Television of Cambodia Kem Gunawadh and other government officials, reporters and guests from both countries.

Popular Chinese Books

Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, which outlines the full political ideas of China’s top leadership, was one of the most prominently displayed books at the exhibition. In total, nearly 3,000 China-themed books were presented there, including those covering Chinese politics, economics, culture, history and other areas. The books, published in Chinese, Khmer, English, French and many other languages, included contemporary Chinese literary works and those about China’s traditional culture, art history, modern development achievements and Chinese language study. The exhibition, co-sponsored by China’s State Council Information Office and the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, was held for one week and offered Cambodian citizens a chance to dive into literature related to China’s modern society. In addition to the Peace Book Center, the books were simultaneously displayed at the Xinzhi Chinese Bookstore in Phnom Penh.

At the opening ceremony of the book exhibition, Tuo spoke of deepening ties between China and Cambodia.

“As friendship between China and Cambodia deepens, the two peoples aspire to further strengthen their mutual understanding and communication,”Tuo said. “Their aspiration to learn about each other’s language and culture has become stronger and stronger. Books are not only a key medium for the transmission of ideas, knowledge and information, but also an important window for the communication of people across the world. The Chinese Book Exhibition displays hundreds of recently-published Chinese books that are rich in content and high in quality, which reflects the Chinese people’s deep friendship with the Cambodian people.”

Both Sarith and Gunawadh stressed the significance of the exhibition. They believed it catered to the needs of Cambodia in several areas of development, and was in line with Cambodia’s education reform goals, seeing the event as a chance to improve young people’s knowledge. For scholars and university students, the event was of particular importance, Gunawadh said.

“I hope more Chinese books will be translated into Khmer so our people can learn more about Chinese culture and form deep friendships with the Chinese people,” Gunawadh added.

Cultural Exchanges Get Closer

“China and Cambodia enjoy flourishing people-to-people and cultural exchanges, which have added strong momentum to the growth of their relations,” Xi wrote in an article published in the leading Cambodian newspaper Rasmei Kampuchea ahead of his state visit to Phnom Penh Oct. 13-14, indicative of the richness of China-Cambodia cultural exchange in recent years. Such exchange has encompassed a variety of different subjects.

The China-Cambodia Media Symposium creates a communication platform for Chinese and Cambodian media representatives.

On the afternoon of Oct. 10, the China-Cambodia Media Symposium, another important cultural exchange event, was held in Phnom Penh, attended by Chinese and Cambodian media representatives. China Central Television, China Radio International, china.com.cn, China Daily, the National Television of Cambodia, Cambodian National Radio, Rasmei Kampuchea and a handful of other media outlets held a discussion on media cooperation and communication.

Representatives from both countries said they would work closely in reporting on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Cambodia. During the three hours of talks, representatives discussed their countries’ media development and held an extensive discussion on media exchange and cooperation. They offered advice on such cooperation, which provided broad space for in-depth future collaboration.

As a key organizer, China International Publishing Group (CIPG) played an active role in planning and carrying out the cultural exchange events in Phnom Penh. In an effort to promote deep understanding and friendship between the Chinese and Cambodian people, CIPG signed a cooperation agreement with the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP). According to the agreement, over the course of the next five years, China will send Cambodia 300 books as gifts each year to help its people learn more about modern Chinese society.

Cambodian Prince Norodom Sirivudh, founder and chairman of the CICP, expressed his appreciation for the agreement.

“China is a sincere friend of Cambodia,” he said. “The two countries’ academic circles and think tanks should strengthen their exchange and cooperation to provide strong intelligent support for the healthy development of China-Cambodia ties.”

China-Cambodia relations depend upon the closeness of the two peoples.Thanks to Xi’s state visit, the two countries are set to strengthen exchange and cooperation. Traditional friendship between the two countries will be carried forward from generation to generation, and the flower of friendship will blossom in the land of the Khmer.