China’s Xi Jinping visits King, Hun Sen
Throngs of cheering school children greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping upon his arrival in the capital on October 13, with balaclava-clad soldiers enforcing order and whole sections of the city shut down as he paid visits to the King and the prime minister. On his first trip since becoming China’s top leader in March 2013 – he visited as vice president in 2009 – Xi also oversaw the signing of 31 agreements, including $238 million in soft loans, $89 million in debt forgiveness and $15 million in military aid. Arriving at Phnom Penh International Airport at about midday, Xi checked in at the Intercontinental Hotel on Mao Tse Tung Boulevard before meeting with King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath at the Royal Palace. Police, military police and the elite Prime Minister’s Bodyguard Unit – who clutched bagged rifles – lined the street corners, while stretches of major arterial roads such as Norodom Boulevard were closed for hours at a time as Xi moved.
