President Xi Jinping of China is bent on deepening his country's bilateral ties with one of its staunch regional allies - Cambodia.

Xi was welcomed by hundreds of students waving Chinese and Cambodian national flags at Phnom Penh International Airport upon his arrival on Thursday. This is Xi's first visit to Cambodia as a president.

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Cambodia is an adherent supporter of China on South China Sea issue. 

The country has been a recipient of huge financial aid and loan from Beijing in return for its unconditional support on the sensitive issue. Earlier this year, Phnom Penh received nearly $550 million in aid from China for lending support over the disputed maritime territory.

Ahead of his visit, a leading Cambodian newspaper published an article signed by Xi that hailed Phnom Penh's role in the ongoing South China Sea issue.

"When China acted to safe guard its territorial sovereignty and maritime interests and was devoted to resolving related disputes through peaceful negotiation, Cambodia did not hesitate to speak out to uphold justice," the Chinese President wrote in the article.

Cambodia's continuing support has, most often, proven to be a stumbling block to form a unified front by other claimants against China. The other claimants include Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Indonesia.      

Meanwhile, both countries are expected to sign 28 deals that span across important social and economic areas later on Thursday.

Xi will leave Cambodia on Friday for weeklong tour of South Asian region, where he will visit Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The visit is important from the context of China's quest to increase footprints in South Asian region, where its regional rival India has a huge influence.  

TagsChina and Cambodia, Cambodia, Xi Jinping, Xi Jinping's Visit to Cambodia