11th World Huang clan convention held in Cambodia

About 3,000 Chinese in Huang clan from around the globe gathered here Wednesday to bridge closer ties among Huang families and to visit Cambodia's attractive tourism destinations.

Speaking at the opening of the 11th World Huang Clan Convention 2nd Session, Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh, honorary president of the Huang Clan Association in Cambodia, said that some 3,000 Chinese Huang families from China, China's Hong Kong, China's Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, the United States and Vietnam gathered at the event. "The annual event is a good opportunity for us to discuss ways and means to promote the Huang family's values and principles and to forge business projects together,"he said. "The mass gathering is a testimony of their attachment to Huang family's ties, their endeavor to retrace the glorious history of Huang ancestry and to discover new Huang faces."

The minister said that besides attending the general assembly, Huang family members could enjoy attractive tourism destinations and seek business opportunities in Cambodia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen also sent a congratulatory message to the Huang families on the occasion of the general assembly. "Your presence in Cambodia is a great opportunity for all of you to explore the country and mingle with your relatives,"reads the message.

He recalled that Chinese presence in Cambodia dated back to the 13th century when Chinese ambassador Zhou Daguan visited Angkor Wat Temple.

Currently, Chinese people and Chinese-blooded Cambodians have greatly contributed to developing Cambodia's economy and society, the message said.

At the political level, Cambodia and China do enjoy very warm relations, it said, adding that the peak of this relation was in December 2010 when the two countries decided to upgrade the relationship to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Cooperation.

Li Zhigong, political counselor at Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, said that the mass gathering was Chinese people's good tradition that has been kept for thousand of years and reflected Chinese unity.

He also encouraged Huang families to help develop the countries in which they are living and promote ties between those countries with China.

Huang Huangming, chairman of the 11th World Huang Clan Convention, said that the Huang clan is one of the oldest clans in China with a history of over 4,200 years. "The meeting is very important to strengthen friendship and promote the development of economy, trade and culture among the Huang families," he said.