On November 3, 2002, King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia met with Premier Zhu Rongji, who was on a visit to Cambodia, in the palace in Phnom Penh.

Zhu first conveyed President Jiang Zemin's cordial greetings and good wishes to King Sihanouk. He said that the king just had his 80th birthday and wished him good health and longevity.

Zhu said that China and Cambodia are friendly neighbors. The friendship between the two countries has been personally forged and carefully nurtured by the king himself together with Chinese leaders of three generations. The King has been dedicated to developing the good-neighborly friendship between China and Cambodia, and made great efforts and remarkable contributions. He has earned deep respect of the Chinese people.

Zhu said that he feels the profound feeling the Cambodian people have towards the Chinese people during the two-day visit. He said that broad consensus has been achieved and a number of agreements have been signed during the productive meetings he had with Cambodian leaders. His current visit to Cambodia is a complete success.

Zhu said that the king has made outstanding achievements in maintaining the independence and sovereignty of Cambodia and realizing national reconciliation and national development. We deeply admire that. Cambodia, as the rotary chair of ASEAN, hosts East Asian leaders' meetings and the Greater Mekong Sub-regional summit, which is a major event in Cambodia's external relations. It is believed that under the king's leadership, the meetings will be a success.

King Sihanouk ask Zhu to convey his cordial greetings to President Jiang. He said that Zhu's ongoing visit to Cambodia is of great significance to the traditional friendship between the peoples of the two countries. The king expressed gratitude toward the support and assistance in all fields his country has received from the Chinese government and people for long and the meticulous care he and the queen have received. He added that Zhu's participation in the 10+3 and other regional leaders' meeting and the Greater Mekong Sub-regional summit held in Cambodia show the great importance China attaches to Cambodia and ASEAN. China's unique role in the regional leaders' meetings will be an important contribution to the peace, stability and development of Southeast Asia.

After the talks, Premier Zhu attended the banquet held in his honor by King Sihanouk.