PHNOM PENH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua)-- 2012 Cambodia-China book fair kicked off here Wednesday, presenting around 1500 kinds of Chinese books to fulfill local people's desire on the access of Chinese culture and language.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Li Zhigong, political counselor with Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, spoke highly of the practical meanings of such a fair.

Li said with the upward trend of the Sino-Cambodian ties and up- going frequency of people-to-people exchange, the market sees higher-than-before demand of personnel familiar with both Chinese and Khmer language. "Meanwhile, there are more and more local Cambodians want to learn more about Chinese language and culture. I believe that such Chinese book fair will help fulfill their desire on accessing information about China and Chinese culture," Li noted.

Khim Sarith, secretary of state with Cambodian Culture Ministry, called for closer cooperation between publishing institutions of both nations in translating Chinese books into Khmer language. "This would surely elevate the exposure of Chinese culture among ordinary Cambodian people who are shut out because of the language barriers," he said.

A local high school student told Xinhua at the fair that she holds a strong interest in Chinese literature and history. The scarcity of publication, however, limits her from gaining more information in those fields. Thus, she appealed for more similar Chinese book fairs in the future.

The 1,500 kinds of book on exhibition cover a wide range of themes, including Chinese literature, history, economy, culture and agriculture.