(30 Apr 1999) Natural Sound
Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk and his wife have arrived in China to attend a flower exhibition in Kunming, Yunnan province.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin invited Sihanouk to take part in the country's 1999 International Horticulture Exposition.
King Sihanouk is due to return to Cambodia on May 2.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin played special host to an old friend, King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, in China's southwestern Yunnan Province.
King Sihanouk frequently resides in China's capital, Beijing, when undergoing medical treatment.
The dignitaries are all in Yunnan's capital, Kunming, for the celebrations to mark the opening of an ambitious six-month flower fair.
The day was a special one for Sihanouk, as Cambodia on Friday formally joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a ceremony in Vietnam,, becoming the 10th full member of the regional grouping.
The idea of ASEAN-10 nurtured by founders of the association has thus finally materialized.
Jiang also met with Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, who is nearing the end of a week-long trip to China.
China's tourism industry has been hard-hit by the ongoing Asian financial crisis, and it is hoped the flower Expo will stimulate more arrivals.
The financial crisis kicked off in July 1997 in Thailand.
The opening ceremony for the flower festival is on Friday evening.
Exhibits at the Horticulture Exposition include gardens and gardening products that mirror traditional gardening from the dozens of participating countries.
Seminars in various fields, performing art shows and specialized exhibitions will also be held at the Exposition.
Yunnan Province is rich in flora and is the original source of many flowers and plants now commonly found in Europe and North America.
Yunnan has been experiencing a historic draught in recent weeks, but officials say the Horticulture Exhibition has not suffered as a result.
Officials in the province have spent over twenty (b) billion Renminbi Yuan (almost two-point-five (b) billion U-S dollars) on building the expo venue and upgrading infrastructure facilities.
They say the vast sum - little of which was provided by China's central government - will be paid off through the anticipated growth in tourism.
The Chinese government expects some 10 (m) million domestic and overseas tourists are to visit Yunnan for the Expo.
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