Chinese artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Jan. 13 -- The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples.

Held at the Terrace of the Elephants in the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park and live broadcast on the state-run TVK, the two-and-a-half hour launching ceremony started with speeches, a video clip featuring Cambodia-China relations, and a glittering arts performance.

In a congratulatory message to the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the relationship between the two countries and peoples had begun and is deeply rooted in a long history of no less than two millennia.

He said the two countries forged diplomatic ties on July 19, 1958 under the then-leaders, Cambodian King Father Norodom Sihanouk and Chinese older generation leaders, and the ties were elevated to the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation in 2010 and now evolved into the "diamond hexagon cooperation."

"I'm optimistic that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will provide a new great opportunity to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia, and the bonds of solidarity, friendship and diamond cooperation between our two countries and peoples will be even stronger," Hun Manet said.

"It will also help boost tourism and exchanges among youths and next-generation leaders of the two countries towards building a Cambodia-China community with a shared future," he added.

Meanwhile, Hun Manet said that as the current leader of Cambodia, he would continue to provide staunch support to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for the benefit of the countries and peoples.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Tea Banh, a member of the Supreme Privy Council to His Majesty the King, said the event was designed to further enhance diamond cooperation between the two countries and to signal the kingdom's readiness to welcome more Chinese tourists.

"I believe that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will inject fresh momentum into building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era," he said.

"It will become a key catalyst for boosting Cambodia-China relations in tourism, culture and people-to-people exchange," he added.

Cambodian Tourism Minister Sok Soken said the Southeast Asian country recorded 5.4 million international tourists, including some 540,000 Chinese tourists, in 2023.

"I'm strongly confident that the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year will become a new driving force to attract more Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia, contributing further to deepening the bonds of friendship between the peoples of the two countries," he said.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said the event would play a vital role in promoting and attracting more Chinese tourists to the kingdom.

"It marks a significant opportunity to strengthen cultural and educational ties between the two nations," he told Xinhua.

He added that effective promotion and genuine cross-cultural understanding from the event could potentially increase Chinese arrivals.

He added that Cambodia offers a wealth of history, breathtaking landscapes, and unique cultural experiences.

Tourism is one of the four pillars supporting Cambodia's economy, in addition to garment, footwear and travel goods export, agriculture, and construction and real estate. ■

Cambodian artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Chinese artists perform during the launching ceremony of the 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, Jan. 13, 2024. The 2024 Cambodia-China People-to-People Exchange Year was officially launched here on Saturday, aiming at further deepening the bonds of friendship between the two countries' peoples.