China Cultural Body Pledges Enhanced Cooperation to Boost Cambodian Tourism

BEIJING, July 17, 2026 (KPT) – A leading Chinese cultural association has pledged to deepen cooperation with Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism, aiming to jointly promote cultural exchanges and market tourism, officials said Thursday. The commitment was formalized during talks on July 15 in Beijing between Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak and Yang Xiaoyang, President of the China Association for the Promotion of Culture and Arts Development. Minister Hak was accompanying Prime Minister Hun Manet on his visit to China, which also included attendance at the World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai. Minister Hak highlighted Cambodia’s tourism potential and recent reforms, including visa exemptions for Chinese citizens and government efforts to combat online scam activities. He emphasized that Cambodia’s tourism sector is well-positioned to benefit from closer cultural cooperation, underscoring the long-standing friendship between the two nations and their commitment to building an "all-weather" Cambodia-China community with a shared future. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation through reciprocal art exhibitions, cultural heritage preservation, promotion of films and digital creativity, arts education, human resource development, and integrated culture-tourism initiatives. The Chinese association will prepare a detailed project proposal and dispatch a delegation to Cambodia to explore opportunities for expanding cultural cooperation and tourism exchanges. To ensure effective implementation, focal officials have been appointed to coordinate planning and continue discussions on future projects. The Ministry of Tourism stated that the partnership would strengthen cultural connectivity and bolster tourism promotion by leveraging cultural exchanges to encourage greater travel between Cambodia and China.