Prime Minister Hun Manet has proposed increased Chinese investment in several key areas in Cambodia, including agricultural products, public healthcare services, tourism, vocational training, education and sports.
During his September 16 meeting with Liu Ning, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) committee for the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Manet suggested a broader collaboration in the sectors and also called for increased direct flights between the Kingdom and Guangxi. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the China-ASEAN Expo, held in the region’s capital city Nanning.
Manet also urged Liu to explore expediting the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in constructing Cambodia-China industrial parks, with a focus on the digital economy and smart agriculture.
“The autonomous region’s economic growth and development play a significant role in driving China’s economy forward,” he said.
Liu told Manet that Guangxi possesses untapped potential and is actively seeking more opportunities to enhance its collaboration with Cambodia.
“The autonomous region has already established extensive cooperation with Cambodia in various sectors, including trade, healthcare, technology and human resource training.
“Regarding the expansion of direct flights, I will speak with the relevant parties in both China and Cambodia,” said Liu.
Lim Heng, vice-president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC), said its president Kith Meng and a delegation from the chamber also visited the Guangxi, and participated in discussions and a luncheon with representatives from Cambodian and Chinese enterprises.
“The private sectors of both nations engaged in conversations with potential investors, exploring new and existing investment prospects in Cambodia,” he said.
“During the meeting, [Manet] urged investors to take note of the public order and political stability of Cambodia. He assured them that there are no security concerns, contrary to what may have been reported by some foreign media outlets,” he said.
Heng added that the investors who were present were committed to investing in various areas within Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with a particular emphasis on the logistics sector.
According to a report from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Kingdom for the first six months of this year totalled 185.7 trillion riel ($45.2 billion), marking a nine per cent increase on the same period in 2022.
China remains the Kingdom’s largest source of FDI, with approximately 83.5 trillion riel ($20.7 billion), followed by South Korea and Singapore.
