Support for Cambodian people in their pursuit of development

IN THE COUNTRY'S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION on Sunday, Cambodian People's Party led by Prime Minister Hun Sen declared a "landslide victory", gaining 80 percent of the votes and it is expected to win no less than 100 of the 125 parliamentary seats. Haiwainet.cn comments:

Hun Sen, 65, has been in power for 33 years since becoming Cambodia's leader in 1985, making him the longest-serving Asian leader. He has rich election experiences and having served as prime minister for many years, he is familiar with Cambodia's national and political conditions and knows what policies best suit his country's development. He knows how to work out campaigns that will appeal to voters.

The relatively stable political situation and rapid economic development in recent years and a substantial improvement in people's living standards have won him high prestige at home.

Statistics indicate that Cambodia's economy has achieved average growth of 7.6 percent year-on-year over the past 20 years, and a report by the International Monetary Fund shows that its economic outlook remains positive, with gross domestic product expected to grow by about 7 percent in 2018. The poverty rate fell from 47.8 percent in 2007 to 13.5 percent in 2014.

But at the same time, Hun Sen also faces economic, social and diplomatic challenges. The Western world still has a lot of misunderstandings about Cambodia. The United States has announced an end to its aid to Cambodia, and the European Union has threatened to halt economic cooperation with it. That means how to deal with foreign relations with major countries poses a key challenge to Hun Sen after his re-election.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Cambodia. Over the past 60 years, Chinese and Cambodian people have always supported and helped each other on issues concerning their core interests and thus forged a profound friendship. This friendship has been continuously consolidated, and fruitful achievements have been made in docking their economic and trade strategies and people-to-people exchanges.

China supports Cambodian people to independently choose a development path that suits their national conditions and hopes the international community will play a constructive role in Cambodia's efforts for continued stable development.