Editor's note: Yu Hong is senior research fellow of the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia Hun Sen is embarking on a three-day state visit to China from February 9 to 11. Both countries are expected to sign a series of bilateral cooperation agreements, particularly on infrastructure financing and construction.

Hun Sen's most recent trip to China, in February 2020, was the first visit by a foreign leader to Beijing since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the city of Wuhan. Hun Sen demonstrated political support for China and personally send a message of solidarity between the Cambodians and the Chinese. Meanwhile, in his appreciation of Hun Sen's visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping said. "A friend in need is a friend indeed." To the Chinese leader, Cambodia is indeed a friend to China.

Cambodia has stood tall as a strong supporter and one of the major beneficiaries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) since 2013. Several large-scale infrastructure projects in Cambodia, which were funded by China, have been completed and put into operation, including a 190-kilometer-long expressway connecting Phnom Penh, the capital, and Sihanoukville.

The Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) is a high-profile bilateral cooperation project between China and Cambodia under the BRI. The SSEZ, which is led by garment and textile industries, houses 170 firms and has created nearly 30,000 jobs for locals.

This year marks the 65th anniversary of bilateral ties between China and Cambodia. The two countries have established a comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation. Hun Sen's visit will demonstrate the strong relations between Cambodia and China based on a long-held traditional friendship. Since Cambodia and China established diplomatic relations in July 1958, subsequent generations of Chinese leaders have forged a profound friendship with late Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk over the decades, laying the foundation for the close relationship between the two countries for a long time to come.

China's trade and economic ties with Cambodia are broad, deep, as well as strategically oriented. According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of China, the bilateral trade volume between China and Cambodia reached $13.67 billion in 2021, a year-on-year increase of 43.1 percent. The China-Cambodia free trade agreement, which came into effect on January 1, 2022, is the first bilateral free trade arrangement signed by Cambodia. China is Cambodia's largest trading partner.

Cambodia has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies among ASEAN countries for the past decade. With its rapid economic growth and urbanization and its dynamic young population, Cambodia has become a hotspot for foreign investors, including Chinese companies. According to ASEAN Secretariat statistics, Cambodia is shining brightly as a fast-growing economic star in Southeast Asia, with an average growth rate of 7.1 percent between 2010 and 2019.

China has also been Cambodia's largest source of foreign investment since 2013. According to a report by the Council for the Development of Cambodia, Cambodia received $2.32 billion from China in 2021, up by 67 percent compared to the corresponding figure of $1.39 billion in 2020. This signals that the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected the inflow of Chinese investment to Cambodia. China accounted for 21.8 percent of total approved foreign direct investment to Cambodia from 1994 to 2019. In June 2021, the Cambodian firm Cellcard chose ZTE, a Chinese telecommunication equipment provider, as its 5G partner.

Tourism is one of the pillar industries of Cambodia's economy. In 2019, Cambodia's tourism revenue was $4.92 billion, contributing 12.1 percent to Cambodia's GDP. Cambodia is a country with an ancient civilization, and the "Khmer civilization" attracts tourists from all over the world with its unique charm. Cambodia is rich in natural and cultural tourism resources, including Angkor Wat and the Angkor Dynasty ruins complex in northern Cambodia, the Grand Palace of the capital, and Sihanoukville in the southwest, which is famed for its turquoise sea and white sandy beaches.

China was the biggest source of inbound foreign tourists arriving in Cambodia during the pre-pandemic era. Nonetheless, the Cambodian economy and its tourism sector were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The government has implemented policies to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on businesses and people's incomes and to support economic recovery. 

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit to China in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic won praise from the Chinese government and the Chinese. It lays the foundation for attracting Chinese tourists after the pandemic and resuming Cambodia's domestic tourism industry. Following China's recent reopening, it's expected that over one million Chinese tourists would visit Cambodia in 2023, compared to merely 110,000 in 2022.

Given its small economic and population size, foreign trade and investment have played a crucial role in boosting Cambodia's economy. Chinese investment will continue to be an important source of Cambodia's local economic growth.

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