Shi Zhongjun Meets Dignitaries from Cambodia and Vietnam

On May 24 and 25, 2025, Secretary General Shi Zhongjun of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) respectively met with Secretary of State Kem Gunawadh of the Ministry of Information of Cambodia and Deputy Minister Phan Tam of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, in Henan Province. Both sides exchanged views on promoting ASEAN-China as well as Cambodia-China and Vietnam-China people-to-people and cultural exchanges.

Shi Zhongjun expressed warm welcome to the delegations for attending the 2025 ASEAN-China Media Cooperation Forum, and appreciations for their strong support to the ACC. Shi underlined that the China-Cambodia and China-Vietnam community with a shared future are exemplary models of the building of communities with a shared future between China and ASEAN countries, as well as the epitome of the closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future. Chinese President Xi Jinping just paid state visits to both Cambodia and Vietnam in April, where he reached important consensuses with the heads of the two countries on building an all-weather China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era and the China-Vietnam community with a shared future that carries strategic significance. It has drawn up a new blueprint for the development of China-Cambodia and China-Vietnam relationship. 

Shi stressed that the ACC stands ready to maintain close cooperation with the Ministry of Information of Cambodia and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, under the leaders’ strategic guidance of both sides, to carry out rich and diverse people-to-people exchanges in various areas including media, tourism, culture, youth, so as to cement the foundation of public opinion for the enduring traditional China-Cambodia and China-Vietnam friendship.

Secretary of State Kem and Deputy Minister Phan thanked the ACC’s for the invitation and highly commended the ACC’s extensive efforts in promoting mutual understanding between ASEAN, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. 

Kem conveyed greetings from Minister Neth Pheaktra of the Ministry of Information to SG Shi and stated that the Ministry of Information attaches great importance and looks forward to promoting Cambodia-China media cooperation particularly in areas such as combating fake news, advancing media digital transformation, enhancing its media capacity so as to foster a healthy information and public opinion environment in Cambodia. 

Phan stressed that media is an important tool for enhancing mutual understanding between the peoples of ASEAN and China. Vietnam and China are good neighbours, good friends, good comrades, and good partners with sharing interests. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and China, as well as the Vietnam-China Year of People-to-people Exchanges. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam will host more activities that embody the friendship between the two countries in line with the important consensuses reached between the two leaders. By seizing the opportunities in the age of AI development and digital transformation, the Ministry looks forward to joining hands with the ACC and jointly enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges and cooperation.