（Photo: VCG）
The Kingdom of Cambodia is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. The kingdom is an elective constitutional monarchy with a monarch, currently Norodom Sihamoni, chosen by the Royal Throne Council as head of state. The head of government is the prime minister, currently Hun Sen, the longest serving non-royal leader in Southeast Asia, governing Cambodia since 1985.
FACTS
The Kingdom of Cambodia
Capital: Phnom Penh
Population: About 14.8 million, with 80% being Khmer, and 1.1 million overseas Chinese.
Area: About 180,000 square kilometers.
Major languages: Cambodian (also known as Khmer)
Spoken Languages: Cambodian, Cham, English
Currency: Rael
Membership in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Economy:
Cambodia is a traditional agricultural country with a weak industrial base and relies on foreign aid and investment. The country follows an open and free market economy. The main economic data for the 2017/2018 fiscal year are as follows:
Gross Domestic Product: (GDP): $22.28 billion.
Per capita GDP: $1,384.
Growth Rate: 7%
Political system:
Cambodia is constitutional monarchy, the king the head of state, and parliament the highest authority and legislature. The senate has the power to consider bills passed by parliament. The head of government is the candidate of a party that has won a simple 50%+1 majority in parliament.
Head of State: King Norodom Sihamoni (Since August 2004)
Chairman of the Senate: Say Chhum
Chairman of Parliament: Han Sang-Lin
Prime Minister: Hun Sen
Cambodia-China relations:
China and Cambodia have a long tradition of friendship, and they set up diplomatic relations on July 19, 1958. Several generations of Chinese leaders have established profound friendship with King Norodom Sihanouk, father of King Sihamoni, and have laid a solid foundation for the long-term and stable development of bilateral relations. In December 2010, a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership has brought bilateral relations to a new stage of development.
There have been frequent high-level visits between the two countries. In January 2018, Premier Li Keqiang attended the second LMC leaders' meeting in Cambodia and made an official visit to Cambodia. In February, King Sihamoni and the queen mother came to China for a physical examination and recuperation.
Prime Minister Hun Sen came to China to attend the 15th China-ASEAN Expo. Dionne, the second vice president of the Cambodian senate, came to China to attend the 17th Western China International Expo. In October, Cambodian Senate President Sai Chong visited China. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Diban visited China to attend the BBS in Beijing. Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Party Secretary of Tianjin, visited Cambodia. In November, Zhang Chunxian, vice chairman of the National People's Congress, visited Cambodia. In January 2019, Prime Minister Hun Sen made an official visit to China.
Trade between China and Cambodia reached $7.39 billion in 2018, up 27.6 percent year-on-year. By the end of 2018, Chinese enterprises signed a total contract value of $20.42 billion and completed a turnover of $12.88 billion in Cambodia. By the end of 2017, China's cumulative direct investment in Cambodia reached $5.45 billion. In 2018, China's non-financial direct investment in Cambodia reached $640 million.
（Photo: CGTN）
As meeting with visiting Cambodian PM Hun Sen early this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that bilateral cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has produced more and more practical outcomes, and the two sides have maintained close communication and coordination in regional and international affairs.
Xi expressed the hope to accelerate the synergy between the BRI and Cambodia's development strategy, and promote cooperation in the five sectors of transport, production capacity, energy, trade and people's livelihood.