Machines line up during a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 190-km expressway stretching from capital Phnom Penh to the deep-sea port province of Preah Sihanouk in Kampong Speu, Cambodia, March 22, 2019. China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) invests about two billion U.S. dollars for the project, which will be taken four years to be constructed, starting from March 2019 to March 2023. (Xinhua/Mao Pengfei)

PHNOM PENH, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese aid and investments are crucial to support social and economic development in Cambodia, Sok Touch, president of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said here on Tuesday.

"China's aid has no strings attached and has an intention to help develop Cambodia with the respect for the country's sovereignty," he said during a roundtable discussion here.

The top academician said Chinese investments in transport infrastructure, energy, real estate, construction, and agriculture as well as a huge influx of Chinese tourists are vital to boost Cambodia's economy and to reduce poverty.

About 2 million Chinese tourists visited the Southeast Asian nation last year, up 67 percent year-on-year, according to tourism ministry's data.

Diep Sophal, a history professor at the University of Cambodia, agreed that Chinese aid, investments and tourists are good for Cambodia's development, and praised China for its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

"The principles open the way for all countries to unite," he said.

The Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence include mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence.