PHNOM PENH: Deputy Commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Commander of the Army, General Hun Manet, said that the Royal Government has worked hard to take a nation from the ashes of war into a vibrant economy.

Gen. Hun Manet attended the official opening of Aeon Stung Meanchey Shopping Mall on 7 April 2023, where he said that the Royal Government of Cambodia has always considered maintaining peace as a top priority on the path of social and economic development.

He said, "The Royal Government has worked hard to rebuild the country from the ashes of war to become a dynamic and vibrant economy through the introduction and implementation of policies, strategies and continuous development measures with realism and with a focus on the real needs, livelihoods and well-being of the people as a whole."

He said Cambodia’s rapid economic growth has allowed the Royal Government to lift millions of people out of poverty and transform Cambodia from a poor country to a middle-income nation. He remarked that Cambodia was a low-middle-income country in 2015 and that he aims to transform the Kingdom into a high-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2050.

"With the participation of the private sector, Cambodia's economy can recover quickly from the Covid-19 crisis with a 3% growth rate in 2021 and 5.2% in 2022. The Cambodian economy is seen as strong. It is expected to grow by about 5.6% in 2023,” he said, "These socio-economic developments are due to the participation and growth of the private sector, with the support of the Royal Government, by creating a favorable business environment and strengthening competition in the free market economy."

He added that the presence of Aeon Mall in Phnom Penh has contributed to the city and Cambodia as a whole by employing thousands of Cambodians as well as providing investment and new business opportunities to both local and foreign investors and traders.