Passengers arrive at the Phnom Penh International Airport in Cambodia on Jan 8. [Photo by Pan Tiantian/WeChat account: wenzhoufabu]
A flight was launched between Zhejiang's Wenzhou and Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, on Jan 8, local media outlets reported.
The once-weekly flights, operated by Cambodia's Lanmei Airlines, will take off from Wenzhou Longwan International Airport every Sunday at 3:50 pm and arrive at Phnom Penh International Airport at 6:55 pm. The return flights will set off every Sunday from Phnom Penh at 9:00 am and arrive in Wenzhou at 1:50 pm.
The year 2023 marks the 65th anniversary of China-Cambodia diplomatic ties. The relationship between Wenzhou and Cambodia dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). In 1295, Chinese diplomat Zhou Daguan, a native of Wenzhou, became China’s first ambassador to visit Angkor, the capital city of the Khmer Empire. After returning to China, Zhou wrote a book entitled The Customs of Cambodia, which is Cambodia's only surviving record of the Khmer Empire (802-1431) from the time. Cambodia still preserves Zhou's statue to commemorate him as a "Friendship Ambassador."
Phnom Penh is the biggest city and transportation hub of Cambodia. The new flight service will further strengthen ties between Wenzhou and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership member countries, satisfy the travel demands of tourists and Wenzhou businessmen, and accelerate economic and cultural ties between the two cities.
