Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday hailed the enduring ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia and called on both sides to enhance strategic mutual trust, solidarity and coordination.
Xi made the remarks when meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Shanghai, where the two leaders attended the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance on Friday morning.
Xi welcomed Hun Manet, who is also in China for a working visit.
"China and Cambodia have stood together through thick and thin, supporting each other in times of need. Our ironclad friendship has withstood the test of time and the trials of adversity, remaining as steadfast as a rock and growing stronger with the passage of time. China firmly supports Cambodia in safeguarding its national sovereignty and security and in breaking new ground in economic and social development. The two sides should enhance strategic mutual trust, strengthen solidarity and coordination, enrich the 'Diamond Hexagon' cooperation framework, and continuously elevate the building of the China-Cambodia community with a shared future to new heights," he said.
Hun Manet called President Xi and China the most trustworthy friends of Cambodia and pledged the Cambodian government's adherence to its consistent policy towards China.
"Your Excellency and China are truly the most trustworthy friends of Cambodia. We are grateful for China's long-standing selfless support and assistance for Cambodia's economic and social development, which has contributed to Cambodia's socioeconomic progress, infrastructure construction, and the improvement of people's livelihoods. No matter how the international landscape changes, the Cambodian government led by the Cambodian People's Party will remain steadfast in its consistent policy toward China and will always abide by the one-China principle," he said.
The 2026 World AI Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, which runs through Monday, has brought together world leaders, official representatives, business leaders, scholars and researchers from more than 100 countries and international organizations.
Xi hails enduring ironclad friendship between China, Cambodia
Xi hails enduring ironclad friendship between China, Cambodia
Xi hails enduring ironclad friendship between China, Cambodia
Rally participants gathered in the Japanese capital on Aug 9, which also marked the 81st anniversary of the Nagasaki atomic bombing, to voice strong opposition to the government's push to boost defense spending and revise the war-renouncing Article 9 of the national Constitution.
Holding anti-war placards, chanting anti-war slogans, protesters warned that remilitarizing the nation would betray its pacifist ideals and endanger future generations.
"Defense spending keeps increasing. Based on Article 9 of the Constitution, Japan pledged never to wage war again, yet it keeps strengthening its military. I find this extremely dangerous. They are also trying to revise Article 9. So I believe that for the sake of future young people and children, Article 9 must never be revised. Japan decided never to repeat the mistakes of waging a war after its defeat in WWII. I think we should continue to safeguard that commitment," said a rally participant.
For many in the crowd, the shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains a powerful moral compass as they believe that militarization offers no path forward for a nation that knows the devastation of war firsthand.
"Japan is the only country in the world to have suffered atomic bombings. Yet now Japan is going to deploy missiles. I believe Japan must never possess nuclear weapons," said another rally participant.
"I believe Japan has no future if it goes down the path of militarization. Nuclear weapons are absolutely bad for Japan," said a third woman, also a rally participant.
Beyond moral objections, some demonstrators said that Japan's economic vulnerabilities articulate that saber-rattling is a luxury the country cannot afford.
"I can't help but wonder what on earth a country with only a 36 percent food self-sufficiency rate would be fighting with. I have always been opposed to war, and I'm deeply dissatisfied with what the Takaichi administration is doing now," said another rally participant.
Other rally participants said that seeing revision of the Constitution could unleash unchecked military expansion, stripping away the very safeguards that have kept Japan at peace for eight decades.
"Article 9 of the Constitution is the key. If the nature of the Self-Defense Forces is elevated to a level beyond collective self-defense, which is explicitly written into the Constitution, it will allow the authority of the Self-Defense Forces to expand without limit. So no matter what, I want to prevent this from happening," said one more rally participant.
Japanese citizens rally against Takaichi's military expansion, constitutional revision
