SIEM REAP, Cambodia, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China has made great contributions to Cambodia's development process, Chea Serey, governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, said on Saturday.

The central bank governor made the remarks while attending a "Hello Beijing" Photography Exhibition and Culinary Tasting Event held at the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport.

"Over the last three decades, China has tremendously contributed to Cambodia's development process through the provision of grants and concessional loans for many priority areas based on Cambodia's needs, especially for the construction of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and electrical grid, among others," she said.

The governor said that under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a number of mega-projects have been carried out in the Southeast Asian country, such as the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway and the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport.

"These projects have helped further enhance the kingdom's economic powerhouse connectivity," she said.

Speaking of the "Hello Beijing" Photography Exhibition and Culinary Tasting Event, the governor said the event has not only promoted cultural and tourism ties, but also injected fresh momentum into the building of a high-quality, high-level, and high-standard Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era.

"I myself have visited Beijing many times and like food there very much," she said. "I hope that Cambodian people also like the flavors of Beijing food."

Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said China has greatly contributed to Cambodia's socio-economic development and poverty alleviation.

"Under the BRI, many Chinese mega-projects such as national roads, bridges, expressways, ports, airports, hydropower plants, special economic zones, and a national stadium have been developed in Cambodia," he told Xinhua.

"China is the most reliable friend of Cambodia," Phea said, noting that the friendship between the two countries is rooted deeply based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.■