SE Asian events set stage for Xi visit

By An Baijie (China Daily) Updated: 2016-10-12 06:52

A Cambodian eye patient undergoes screening by a member of a Chinese medical team in Kompong province on Tuesday. By 11 am, the team had diagnosed more than 110 patients with cataracts, and they were readied for treatment. The examinations precede President Xi Jinping's visit to Southeast Asia this week. Hong Jianpeng / China News Agency

China is working with Cambodia and Bangladesh to use book exhibits and other events to draw the countries closer, ahead of President Xi Jinping's visits this week.

The State Council Information Office and Chinese embassy in Bangladesh co-hosted a book exhibition in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday. The exhibition displayed more than 1,000 books, including Xi Jinping: The Governance of China, in languages including Chinese, English and French.

Xi will make state visits to the two nations on Thursday and Friday, and then fly to Goa, India, for the Eighth BRICS Summit over the weekend, officials said. BRICS stands for emerging powerhouses Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

A similar exhibition was held in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, on Monday. There, more than 170 representatives of government departments and media organizations attended.

Exhibitions help Cambodian people increase their knowledge, part of the Cambodian government's educational reform goals, Kem Gunawadh, director general of the National Television of Cambodia, told People's Daily.

"I hope that more Chinese books can be translated into the Cambodian language so that the Cambodian people can learn more about Chinese culture and the friendship with China," he said.

The success of the exhibition shows the Cambodian people's eagerness to learn about China, said Chen Shi, deputy editor-in-chief of China International Publishing Group, which is in charge of the book exhibition.

Many Cambodian government officials and others also want to learn from China's experience as a developing economy, she said.

China-Cambodia media cooperation and new media development also were explored at a forum in Phnom Penh on Monday.

Xiong Bo, China's ambassador to Cambodia, said the cooperation with China will be helpful for Cambodia's economic takeoff.

China and Cambodia will also sign agreements on creating a Chinese book center in Phnom Penh, and China will donate school items to a primary school.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn