China's Li arrives in Cambodia to kick off 3-nation Asian tour

0 Comments | Asian Political News, May 21, 2001

PHNOM PENH, May 18 Kyodo

The head of China's parliament, Li Peng, arrived in Cambodia Friday on the first leg of a three-nation Asian tour that will also take him to Brunei and South Korea.

Li's official visit, aimed at strengthening parliamentary relations, is the first to Cambodia by a chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1958.

During his four-day stay, Li is scheduled to meet with National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, as well as with Prime Minister Hun Sen and Senate President Chea Sim on the invitation of Prince Ranariddh last year.

He will also visit King Norodom Sihanouk, and make a sightseeing trip to the famed city of Angkor Wat before leaving Monday.

Li's visit marks the third high-ranking Chinese delegation to visit Cambodia in the last year, underscoring Beijing's efforts to maintain especially close ties with Cambodia among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Chinese President Jiang Zemin visited Cambodia in November last year, followed by Defense Minister Chi Haotian in February this year.

China has had traditionally good relations with Cambodia. Ties had been strained after the Khmer Rouge fell from power in 1979, but warmed again in the mid-1990s.

In 1997, after ASEAN disapproved of Hun Sen's deposing of Prince Ranariddh as his co-premier and delayed Cambodia's accession to the grouping, Hun Sen deliberately aligned himself with China.

China has since been providing Cambodia with limited economic and military assistance.

Prior to the deposing of Prince Ranariddh, ASEAN had been eager to bring in Cambodia as a member, partly to counterbalance the influence of China in the region. Cambodia eventually joined ASEAN in April 1999