BEIJING, July 18 -- Cambodia's second Prime Minister Hun Sen arrived in Beijing Thursday to bolster trade and forge closer ties between the two countries. The prime minister is heading a 31-member delegation on a trip he has said will 'clarify past unclear relations' between Cambodia and China, referring to China's backing of Khmer Rouge and royalist forces against Hun Sen's former communist regime of the 1980s. 'This is an effort to forge mutual understanding and cooperation which I think will help to finish completely the past misunderstanding between the two countries,' Hun Sen told reporters. Hun Sen and his party were greeted at the airport by Vice Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan. He was scheduled to hold talks with Premier Li Peng and meet with President Jiang Zemin Friday. The two countries were also expected to sign several agreements on trade and investment. 'China and Cambodia enjoy friendly relations,' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Cui Tiankai. 'It is the common aspiration of the two governments as well as the peoples of the two countries to enhance and develop mutual understanding and trade.' 'As for some differences on economic and trade programs, I believe those differences can be settled through negotiations,' Cui said. Analysts in Phnom Penh said regional and domestic political considerations would also be discussed during the four-day visit. The two parties will establish formal ties between the communist Cambodian People's Party and the Chinese Communist Party during the visit through the signing of a 'relations agreement,' Hun Sen said.
The announcement of the China visit and the CPP-only delegation came as a surprise to many diplomats in Phnom Penh, and has upset royalist FUNCINPEC party officials who rule Cambodia in a shaky coalition with the CPP. 'The delegation does not include a single FUNCINPEC member of the government. This is like Hun Sen is declaring a diplomatic war,' said one party official who requested anonymity. FUNCINPEC first Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh played down the significance of the China visit, saying, 'I have already gone to China so it is good that the second prime minister is now going, although it is not really an official visit.' Because of China's traditionally close relations with Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk, the visit has raised speculation in Phnom Penh that China is shifting its support to Hun Sen, who in the past has been an adversary of the king. High-ranking CPP officials say the visit reflected China's recognition of the future political strength of Hun Sen and the CPP, and its concern that Hun Sen's recent move toward closer ties with South Korea could be followed by Cambodia recognizing Taiwan. Chinese embassy officials in Phnom Penh however claim the invitation to Hun Sen to lead the delegation to China was 'not unusual' and that both prime ministers had traveled to Beijing in 1994 on an official visit. The China visit was the second step in Hun Sen's recent diplomatic push into Asia, coming just one day after his return from a ground- breaking visit to Seoul, the first official visit by a Cambodian leader to South Korea in more than 20 years. Analysts said Hun Sen is set to benefit from both the Seoul and Beijing visits by projecting his image as a leader able to perform abroad. They said China will also benefit from the visit by ensuring future close relations with Cambodia despite possible leadership changes and Cambodia's move to join ASEAN.
