Li Xuanmin

“The rice has a special flavour. Where did you buy it?” my friend, Mr Huang, asked the moment he walked into the kitchen and caught a whiff of the delicate jasmine aroma. In the rice cooker, the grains were slender and white, each one plump, distinct and beautifully separate.

I took a bag of rice out of the cabinet and pointed to the packaging. On the front, it proudly displayed “Cambodian Jasmine Rice,” accompanied by vertical lettering that read: “A Grain of Rice, the Smile of Angkor.”

“Does Cambodia really produce rice this good?” my friend asked, a bit surprised.

To be honest, the first time I cooked it, I was surprised as well. I clearly remember buying a small bag from a high-end supermarket in Beijing three years ago on a sales assistant’s recommendation. it. I was told the the rice was from Cambodia, an agricultural country, and that it had a distinctive jasmine aroma, a superior texture, and was grown without pollution. Out of curiosity, I did some research and found that Cambodian jasmine rice had won the “World’s Best Rice” championship multiple times.

Nowadays, this rice has made its way onto more and more supermarket shelves across China. It is also readily available online, with a growing number of brands appearing on major Chinese e-commerce platforms –increasingly competing directly with long-dominant Thai rice.

Prices have become more affordable. During this year’s 618 shopping festival, I casually placed an order on my phone and noticed that the 5kg bag cost only around 100 yuan ($14.70). When I stood in the kitchen with the freshly delivered bag in hand, I felt a sense that the tiny grains of rice were gently linking two friendly neighbours – China and Cambodia – and bringing them closer to each other.

On January 1, 2022, the China-Cambodia Free Trade Agreement and RCEP took effect on the same day. This was a landmark moment for China-Cambodia agricultural cooperation: rice departed from Cambodia’s Sihanoukville Port and shipped across the South China Sea straight to major ports along China’s southeastern coast, where tariffs on Cambodian rice imports were sharply reduced and customs clearance procedures were significantly streamlined.

This was one of the changes that facilitated the expanding presence of Cambodian rice in China’s vast consumer market.

Official statistics show that in 2025, Cambodia’s rice exports jumped 45% to 940,000 tonnes, with exports to China reaching 231,000 tonnes, accounting for 24.56% of the total volume.

Rice trade is just one dimension of China-Cambodia agricultural cooperation. The deeper dimension of connectivity lies in the entire industrial chain integration – from a single seed to a steaming bowl of rice.

Yuan Longping, China’s “father of hybrid rice,” once led a scientific research team to the paddies of Cambodia to promote hybrid rice. Chinese companies invested in building rice drying, storage and warehousing facilities, addressing the long-standing challenges for local farmers and assisting Cambodia in achieving its goal of exporting at least 1 million tonnes of rice a year in the future. In processing plants, Sino-Cambodian joint ventures turn paddy into premium packaged rice.

In terms of logistics connectivity, China-built infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative is expected to inject new dynamics into bilateral collaboration. At the beginning of 2026, Cambodia and Laos signed an agreement on transporting Cambodian agricultural products via Laos, potentially opening a new corridor that leverages the China-Laos Railway to further boost the competitiveness of Cambodian exports to China.

A Cambodian proverb says, “Trust is like a tree.” The tree of China-Cambodia friendship was planted in 1958 when the two countries established diplomatic relations. Over the past 67 years, they have weathered storms together, and today it stands with deep roots and luxuriant leaves.

When the roots grow deeper, the fruits naturally become more abundant. In China’s supermarkets, what once felt like exotic Cambodian produce is now an everyday option for many Chinese families.

What began as trade is evolving into shared prosperity: On one hand, Cambodia gains stable export markets not only for grain but also for a variety of products such as cassava, fruits and vegetables, along with higher farmer incomes, and accelerated agricultural modernisation. Southeast Asia – blessed with abundant waterways and fertile plains – is moving steadily towards the vision of becoming a true “land of fish and rice.” On the other hand, China secures diversified, high-quality agricultural supplies, and Chinese enterprises expand overseas investment opportunities and apply their technological strengths.

That day, my friend, Mr Huang, finished two bowls of Cambodian rice at my home, and he immediately placed an online order for several bags of Cambodian jasmine rice. I believe the next time the aroma fills his kitchen, what he will be tasting is more than just a bowl of good rice. He will be tasting the sunshine and the soil of Tonlé Sap Lake, the fruit of a friendship between “ironclad friends” that has spanned more than half a century, and the vivid flavour of the deep connection between China and ASEAN.

The author is a chief reporter at the Global Times, a leading newspaper based in Beijing published in Chinese and English. Email lixuanmin@globaltimes.com.cn

Published Date: June 29, 2026