Chinese vice president arrives in Cambodia

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping arrived Sunday in Cambodia on the last leg of a four-nation Asian tour.

His arrival came a day after Cambodia bowed to Beijing's wishes and sent back a group of 20 Muslim asylum-seekers sought in connection with violent anti-government protests, despite concern by human rights activists that they face persecution.

Chinese officials had described the ethnic Uighurs as "criminals," and Cambodia _ which maintains warm relations with Beijing _ said it was expelling them because they had illegally entered the country.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Xi Jinping's party arrived by plane in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, home to the famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

On Monday Xi will go to the capital, Phnom Penh, where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Hun Sen and preside with him over the signing of 14 agreements, mostly concerning economic assistance to Cambodia, he said.

The trip is seen as significant because Xi Jinping is widely considered the leading contender to eventually succeed President Hu Jintao.

Xi's previous stops on his tour were Japan, South Korea and Myanmar. Koy Kuong said Xi and his delegation will leaves Cambodia on Tuesday.

While economic powerhouses Japan and South Korea are rivals to China, Myanmar and Cambodia are two of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, where China uses its wealth to spread its influence.

Beijing is the closest and most powerful ally of military-ruled Myanmar, and has major investments in the country, which is shunned by the West because of its failure to restore democratic rule.

Cambodia is nominally more democratic than Myanmar, but Hun Sen is an autocratic ruler who uses his ties with China as a balance against dependency on Western nations.