PHNOM PENH, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations in Cambodia organized a public lecture on "The Real China Model: What other developing countries should learn from China" in Phnom Penh on Thursday, according to its press release.

Professor Yuen Yuen Ang, author of the book How China Escaped the Poverty Trap, spoke on the topic to senior officials from the Cambodian government, diplomats, UN officials, and development professionals, the release said.

Ang presented her work and explained how it relates to Cambodia's socio-economic development opportunities and challenges, it said.

"When developing countries and partners think of the China Model, they often, incorrectly, think of it as purely a top-down model," said Ang, associate professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

"In reality, different parts of China have followed many different paths to economic and social development over the last several decades. Their commonality is the adaptation of central mandates to local conditions," Ang said.

China has overcome complex development challenges to move into the ranks of a middle-income country and lifted many out of poverty, Ang said.

There's much developing countries can learn from China's success, said Haoliang Xu, UN assistant secretary-general and UNDP regional director for Asia-Pacific, who opened the public lecture.