by Nguon Sovan

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian officials and scholars on Tuesday applauded Chinese President Xi Jinping's speech at the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, saying that his remarks reflected China's commitment to multilateralism and further opening-up.

In his Tuesday speech at the expo, Xi presented a prospect of jointly building an open world economy through cooperation, with innovation and for mutual benefits and outlined China's opening-up policies in the next step.

"His remarks clearly demonstrate China's strong effort to promote a multilateral trading system and free trade for an open world economy," Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan told Xinhua.

"Cambodia always supports the multilateral trading system because it brings not only fruitful development, but also peace and cooperation for the whole world," Siphan said.

"There's no doubt that through the expo, trade and investment flows between China and the rest of the world will be bigger," he added.

Held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, the six-day expo is expected to see over 3,000 companies from 170 countries and regions and attract about 500,000 visitors and guests.

Cambodian Commerce Ministry spokesman Seang Thay said Cambodia is proud to be a guest country of honor at the second CIIE.

"The expo reflects China's further opening up of its market for products from across the world. It will benefit all participating countries in terms of market and economic growth," he told Xinhua.

Xi's speech at the CIIE also demonstrates "China's consistent position of enhancing the multilateral trading system and promoting free trade," he said.

Cambodia has erected a national pavilion, along with booths, at the expo.

"I think through the expo, trade and investment relations between China and Cambodia as well as other countries will be further strengthened and expanded," he said.

Song Saran, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation, who led 13 local rice exporters to the expo, said "I have no doubt that China is one of the largest consumers, and China's further opening up of its market would be beneficial to the rest of the world."

He said Cambodia is expected to export more agricultural products, especially rice, to China after the expo.

Despite the ongoing U.S.-China trade frictions, Saran noticed that a large number of U.S. enterprises have participated in the expo.

"The CIIE will open more markets for the U.S. and the world, and I hope that the U.S. and China will sort out their trade differences soon," he said.

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said Xi's speech reflected changing global reality and confirmed China's unwavering commitment to further opening-up to the world.

"The second CIIE is an ample proof for the world that China is open for businesses and ready to welcome all sorts of legitimate investors from around the world," he told Xinhua.

"This expo also shows that China strongly believes in multilateralism in trade, free trade, fair practice, rule-based trade deal, transparency in official trade policies, accountability and opportunities to all countries irrespective of their geopolitical and social statutes in the world," he said.