The second China-Cambodia Cultural Exchange Forum was held both on and offline on Feb 13. Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC committee of Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) and vice-president of BFSU, attended and addressed the forum.

Zhao Gang, a member of the standing committee of the CPC BFSU committee and vice-president of the university, addresses the forum in a video speech. [Photo/bfsu.edu.cn]

Zhao said that Cambodia is a staunch friend of China and plays a key role in implementing the Belt and Road Initiative. The two countries respect each other's core concerns and their cooperation has benefited people's livelihoods on both sides.

The achievements made in bilateral relations in the contemporary era are closely related to the long-term cultural interactions between the two countries, Zhao said.

BFSU has long been committed to promoting exchanges and the mutual learning of global civilizations, facilitating mutual understanding between China and the world and forming a global mindset for the future through the teaching of 101 languages. Together with well-known Cambodian scholars, BFSU scholars have published articles on mainstream media outlets of the two countries, shown a real image of China and boosted bilateral relations, Zhao noted.

Under the diamond hexagon cooperation framework highlighting politics, production capacity, agriculture, energy, security and people-to-people and cultural exchanges as well as the strengthened communication between the younger generation of the two countries, the university will make further efforts to bolster bilateral dialogue, Zhao said.

The China-Cambodia Cultural Exchange Forum is a brand activity held annually by the Cultural Exchange Network of Cambodia and China. The network was established in December 2021 by BFSU, one of the initiators, together with China Huaneng Group, the Internet Research Institute, the International Relations Institute of Cambodia at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, the Asian Vision Institute, and the Royal Group in Cambodia.

At present, the network has more than 30 enterprises, academic institutions, think tanks and media outlets from China and Cambodia as its members, building a platform for cultural cooperation and exchanges.