PHNOM PENH, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Tuesday hailed peace, political stability and rapid development under the leadership of his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and vowed to maintain them for a prosperous Cambodia.
Addressing a huge crowd of more than 30,000 people here, Hun Sen, who is also the CPP's president, said peace and political stability are firm foundations for Cambodia's economic development.
"The past 41 years has been full of solidarity, heroism and victories," he said. "Our determination and commitment in the past 41 years has transformed our motherland from ashes to its proudest development stage."
He said where there is peace, there will be a sustainable development and peaceful and prosperous life.
"We are determined resolutely to defend the hard-won peace for it to exist firmly and long-lastingly," Hun Sen said. "We would allow no reactionary forces, at whatever price it would be to pay, to destroy it."
The prime minister said the government would continue safeguarding peace, political stability, security and social order in order to support the kingdom's goals of becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.
He also highlighted the country's overall situation in 2019, saying that the political situation was very stable and the economy grew roughly 7.1 percent.
The GDP per capita reached 1,679 U.S. dollars last year, up 8.4 percent from 1,548 dollars in the year before, he said, adding that the poverty rate had now come down to below 10 percent.
According to the prime minister, the country's unemployment rate was very low, at 0.3 percent.
