China and Cambodia on Thursday launched a series of initiatives on cultural exchange and media cooperation at an event held in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh to enhance the ties of the people of the two countries.
Co-hosted by China Media Group (CMG) and Cambodia's Ministry of Information, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Ministry of Tourism, and the Royal Academy of Cambodia, the event featured the launch of a series of initiatives spanning a diversity of topics from promoting shared prosperity to exchanging development experiences. It also coincided with President Xi Jinping's state visit to the Southeast Asian nation on Thursday.
Cambodian People's Party President and Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen sent a congratulatory letter to the event. He said the friendship between Cambodia and China has withstood the test of history and time, and China is Cambodia's most trusted friend.
Noting that cultural exchanges bond the two peoples, Hun Sen said he is glad to see Cambodia-China media cooperation has yielded fruitful results, expressing his belief that this Cambodia-China cultural exchange event will once again build a bridge for the two countries to deepen understanding, enhance mutual trust, and promote the steady development of their bilateral relations.
CMG President Shen Haixiong, Cambodian Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra, Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona, Cambodian Minister of Tourism Huot Hak and Sok Touch, president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, together with other prominent figures from the political, economic, cultural, academic and media fields of Cambodia and China attended the the event.
During the event, the Chinese state broadcaster reached a series of practical cooperation agreements with multiple Cambodian government agencies and media outlets, and launched the China-Cambodia media partnership mechanism, the 10th "Open-air Cinema" film tour program, and other activities.
Under the media partnership mechanism, a joint interview event was unveiled. It will tell the development stories of China and Cambodia from multiple perspectives, share development experiences, and inject China-Cambodia strength into global development.
The "Open-air Cinema" project has screened more than 300 excellent Chinese film and television works, reaching over 100,000 Cambodian viewers while emerging as one of the major initiatives for cultural exchanges between China and Cambodia.
China, Cambodia launch cultural exchange initiatives to enhance ties
China, Cambodia launch cultural exchange initiatives to enhance ties
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Sunday said Cuba is a free, independent and sovereign nation, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations that the island country provided "security services" to Venezuela in exchange for oil.
Earlier on Sunday, Trump suggested Cuba should make a deal with Washington.
"There will be no more oil or money going to Cuba -- Zero! I strongly suggest they make a deal, before it is too late," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
"Cuba lived, for many years, on large amounts of oil and money from Venezuela," Trump said.
However, Trump did not specify the terms of a deal or the consequences Cuba could face.
Diaz-Canel said on X that the United States has "no moral authority to point the finger at Cuba in anything", adding that the U.S. side turns everything, even human lives, into a business.
Diaz-Canel said that the United States is "hysterical" against the Caribbean nation because of the sovereign decision of the Cuban people to choose their political model.
"Those who blame the Revolution for the severe economic hardships we suffer should be ashamed and keep quiet," he said. "Because they know and recognize that they are the result of the draconian measures of extreme asphyxiation that the United States has imposed on us for six decades."
Cuba does not attack or threaten other countries, said Diaz-Canel, adding that the country is ready to defend itself "to the last drop of blood".
Also on Sunday, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the United States behaves like a criminal and unchecked hegemon that threatens peace and security, not only in Cuba and this hemisphere, but throughout the entire world.
In an X post, Rodriguez said Cuba has the absolute right to import fuel from markets willing to export it and develop trade relations without interference or subordination to unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States.
Venezuela on Sunday reiterated its "historic stance" toward Cuba, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to the principles of "fraternity, solidarity, cooperation and complementarity", despite mounting pressure from Washington to isolate the Caribbean nation.
The Venezuelan government released a statement underscoring its support for the free exercise of self-determination and sovereignty of peoples, which it considers fundamental pillars of international relations.
It emphasized its adherence to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law, highlighting the longstanding and evolving ties between Venezuela and Cuba.
The Venezuelan government stressed that relations between states should be governed by the principles of non-intervention, sovereign equality and self-determination, and that "political and diplomatic dialogue" is the only viable path to "peacefully resolve disputes of any kind".
Cuban president says ready to defend Cuba, refutes Trump's accusations
