CAMBODIA: JIANG & SIHANOUK ARRIVE

Описание: (14 Nov 2000) Natural Sound
XFA
Chinese President Jiang Zemin together with King Norodom Sihanouk were greeted by a crowd of supporters as they arrived in Angkor, the culmination of a historic trip to Cambodia.

Jiang - the first Chinese head of state to visit Cambodia - did not speak with reporters during his two-day visit, but a spokesman called it a complete success.

The trip has highlighted China's attempts to increase its economic and political influence in the region, the spokesman said.

Jiang visited Laos before coming to Cambodia, and was traveling on to Brunei for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit.

His tour of Angkor included some of the most revered sites of the ancient Khmer empire, which built several Buddhist and Hindu temples between the 8th and 12th centuries.

Most of the monuments are surrounded by jungle outside Siem Riep, about 155 miles northwest of Phnom Penh.

Jiang also made a surprise demonstration of his musical skills.

Jiang picked up a Chinese traditional instrument, called Erhu, from a group of traditional musicians performing at the site.

The Chinese delegation signed seven agreements on trade, agriculture and crime on Monday.

However, the two sides said Jiang did not broach the touchy subject of China's support for the former Khmer Rouge regime, which was responsible for 1.7 million deaths during its 1975-79 rule.

China was the Khmer Rouge's most important ally, supplying it arms and other types of aid.

Attempting to distance the present government from the brutal regime, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday that China never supported the Khmer Rouge's "wrong policies."

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