China-Cambodia Hold Moon Festival Arts Gala to Celebrate Traditional Friendship

Cambodia and China have jointly organized a Moon Festival arts performance to celebrate their traditional friendship and cultural exchanges. The event, themed "Clouds Accompanying the Moon: Deep Neighborly Affection," was held on the evening of September 23, 2026, at the Diamond Island Convention Center in Phnom Penh. It showcased the close cultural traditions and customs shared between the peoples of both nations. Peng Bin, Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department of the Yunnan Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Yunnan Provincial Civilization Office, stated that the Moon Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday reflecting the Chinese people's aspirations for family reunion and completeness in life. He emphasized that the custom of admiring the moon is a shared cultural tradition between the Chinese and Cambodian peoples and a vivid testament to their close cultural ties. He noted that during the traditional Chinese Moon Festival, people admire the moon and eat mooncakes, symbolizing hopes for family reunion. Similarly, during Cambodia's Water Festival and the Royal Ceremony of Paying Homage to the Moon and eating Ak Ambok (a sticky rice cake), Cambodians also pay homage to the moon and eat Ak Ambok, praying for peace and prosperity. "The shared moonlight demonstrates the testament of generational traditional friendship between China and Cambodia, and it is also a testament to the historical ironclad friendship," Peng Bin remarked. He added that in recent years, under the strategic leadership of the two countries' leaders, China-Cambodia relations have reached a new level, with fruitful achievements in cooperation and friendship. Wang Wenbin, Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia, stated that culture is colorful due to mutual exchange, and civilization is rich due to mutual learning between China and Cambodia. He expressed the willingness to work with Cambodian friends to take this event as a new starting point to further deepen cooperation in media, cultural exchanges, tourism, and youth relations. Ambassador Wang also highlighted media cooperation, mentioning the production of a 4K documentary titled "Good Neighbor, Cambodia" by Yunnan's radio and television stations in collaboration with Cambodia's National Television (TVK). Furthermore, the South and Southeast Asia Media Alliance, comprising over 100 institutions, and the Lancang-Mekong TV Week, held for the seventh consecutive time, have become important platforms for regional media to join hands and expand the reach of friendship. In commerce and transportation, the China-Cambodia Cultural Corridor at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport has been enhanced, and a direct cross-border transport route between China, Laos, and Cambodia has been launched. Visa exemption policies for mutual travel have also been implemented. Additionally, the Cultural Center in Phnom Penh, jointly built by the Yunnan Provincial People's Government and China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has reopened, further deepening exchanges and friendly relations between Yunnan Province and Cambodia. Ambassador Wang emphasized the importance of bilateral relations, noting the increasingly close cooperation and exchanges between Yunnan Province and Cambodia in media, culture, and tourism in recent years. The "Yunnan Tourism Tours World Heritage Tourism: Visit Angkor" project is being actively promoted. A Memorandum of Understanding on media cooperation between the Ministry of Information of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Propaganda Department of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China has been officially signed. "China and Cambodia are ironclad friends who always help each other and share a common destiny, as the old saying goes, 'Distant relatives are not as close as neighbors.' In April 2025, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping paid an official visit to Cambodia, jointly opening a new chapter in building the China-Cambodia community of shared future in the new era with Cambodian leaders. In July 2026, Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia paid a working visit to China," Ambassador Wang stated. Minister of Tourism, Dr. Thong Khon, said that Cambodia and China are ironclad friends with a long history of over a thousand years of friendship. Through their diamond cooperation, tourism exchanges, and people-to-people connectivity are indispensable bridges. He added that this arts performance marks another new chapter in deepening and close relations between Cambodia and China, contributing to the implementation of the Cambodia-China Tourism Year campaign and China's "Belt and Road" initiative, which will further drive the connection and promotion of the rich tourism, culture, and traditions of both countries, especially fostering people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The Minister warmly welcomed Chinese friends, both tourists and investors, to visit Cambodia with confidence and trust, and to experience the warm hospitality, beautiful smiles, and refreshing atmosphere of the Cambodian people. Source: AKP Khmer