Cambodia and China have once again pledged to promote tourism connections through the expansion of direct flights. In the first four months of 2025, more than 380,000 Chinese tourists visited Cambodia.
The commitment was reiterated during a May 27 meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese Premier Li Qiang, on the sidelines of the 46th ASEAN Summit and related summits, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
During the meeting, Li expressed his pleasure at holding working discussions with Manet once again, noting the continuous strengthening of bilateral relations between China and Cambodia. The two countries have upgraded their relationship to a “Cambodia-China Community with a Shared Future in All Seasons in the New Era.”
Through today’s meeting, both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in key sectors, including the economy, trade, investment, national defence and security, education, technology, industry and agriculture. This will be done through collaboration on the “Industrial Development Corridor” and the “Fish and Rice Corridor”.
Additionally, they agreed to further promote people-to-people exchanges, boost the tourism sector and expand direct flight connections between Cambodia and China.
Thourn Sinan, president of the Cambodia Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), told The Post on May 27 that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Cambodia has significantly increased since 2024, especially after the April state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“With the recent increase in Chinese tourist arrivals, I believe that the Chinese leadership is truly committed to encouraging its citizens to travel and enjoy holidays in Cambodia in even greater numbers,” he said.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, in 2024, Cambodia welcomed a total of 6.7 million international tourists, a 23% over 2023. Around 850,000 were Chinese, a 55% increase. In the first four months of this year, Cambodia welcomed about 2.4 million international tourists — an increase of nearly 14%, including over 380,000 Chinese tourists, a rise of nearly 49%.
