PHNOM PENH, Feb. 6 -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen's special visit to China displayed the profound friendship and solidarity between the two countries and peoples, Cambodian officials and scholars said Thursday.
FIGHTING THE VIRUS TOGETHER
As some countries have adopted some extreme measures to curb the virus' spread, Siphan said that Hun Sen's Beijing visit sent a message to the world that it is unnecessary to be "extremely scared."
"The prime minister's special visit shows Cambodia's strong support to China in fighting the outbreak of the coronavirus," he told Xinhua.
The chief spokesman said that Cambodia, as a true friend of China, extends its best wishes to all Chinese people, and is confident that China will win the fight against the virus soon.
Chheang Vannarith, president of the Asian Vision Institute, said that the visit clearly reflected the deep friendship between the two countries.
"Cambodia always stands with China in the fight against common threats such as the novel coronavirus," he told Xinhua. "The visit has also inspired the peoples of both countries to stay calm, build strong spirit and take concrete measures to deal with the outbreak."
FRIEND IN NEED, FRIEND INDEED
Hun Sen said last week that he is confident in China's ability to control the novel coronavirus and that Cambodia will neither ban flights from China, nor evacuate its citizens from the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
"A friend in need is a friend indeed. This is the slogan of Cambodia since our ancestral times," he said in a public speech.
The visit also made the headlines of local media. Khmer Times published an article titled "PM visits China to show support." It said that Hun Sen's visit was to show solidarity with China during a difficult time and to encourage Cambodian students in China not to panic over the epidemic.
Fresh News, the country's largest online media platform, covered Hun Sen's activities in Beijing from the beginning until the end, mentioning that Hun Sen had been the first foreign leader to visit China since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. It said that the visit would further deepen the bilateral fraternal friendship between the countries.