Cambodia on Saturday inaugurated a China-funded national stadium in the northern suburbs of the capital Phnom Penh with a sports parade, martial arts, and traditional dances.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian presided over the three-hour event, which was attended by nearly 20,000 people.
Speaking at the ceremony, Hun Sen said the 60,000-seat stadium will be the centerpiece venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian Games for the first time in May 2023.
He expressed his profound gratitude to China for building the stadium for Cambodia, saying that it was a great achievement in the country's sports sector.
The stadium is just one of many China-funded achievements in Cambodia, he said, and it is another fruit of the iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China.
The project took four years to be completed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation under China's grant aid.
Quoting the remarks of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the handover ceremony of the stadium in September this year, the Chinese ambassador said that the stadium will become a vital landmark of the traditional friendship between the two countries with symbolic significance.
"We believe that Cambodia will make the games a great one to show its national image, promote national development and inspire national spirit," the Chinese ambassador said.
Located about 18 km in the northern part of the capital, the 39.9-meter-tall stadium was built in the shape of a "sailing ship" with both prows 99 meters tall, and was encircled by an ancient Angkor-style moat.
Tourism Minister Thong Khon, who is also the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said the stadium has also been equipped with a luxury hotel, sportswear and equipment shops, food courts and other facilities.
"The stadium has created a new chapter in the history of Cambodia-China relations and is a symbol of the iron-clad friendship between the two countries and the two peoples," he said.
Khon said the five-storey stadium can be completely evacuated in only seven minutes in case of an emergency.
Ly Bros Neang, a 28-year-old footballer, is grateful to China for gifting the stadium to Cambodia, saying that the Cambodian people will remember this kindness.
"As athletes, we always wish for a good training place, a good tournament place. Now, with China's generous aid, our aspiration has come true," he told Xinhua.
Huot Kanha, a 27-year-old badminton player, said the stadium is both modern and beautiful, depicting the Cambodian architectural style.
"This stadium is the pride of our country and people because in the history of Cambodia, we had never had such a huge and modern stadium, and it will help raise Cambodia's profile in the sports world on international arena," she said. "I believe that it will not only support the development of the sports sector, but also help attract more foreign tourists, especially the Chinese, to Cambodia in coming years."
Vuthyna Pheanumaboth, an 18-year-old visitor to the stadium, said the stadium will become a bridge to connect the hearts of the peoples of Cambodia and China.
"And it will also promote people-to-people bonds between Cambodia and the rest of the world because when there are main international tournaments, athletes and visitors from various countries will come here," he said.