JAKARTA: Prime Minister Hun Manet said that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has provided many benefits to Cambodia, especially in the fields of transportation and logistics.

At the 26th ASEAN-China Meeting on September 6 in Jakarta, the PM recognized the common interests and good relations between China and ASEAN over nearly three decades. He said that the BRI has provided many benefits to Cambodia, especially in the transport and logistics sectors, noting the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway as an example of the initiative’s success.

He also stressed the need for ASEAN to promote the effective implementation of the ASEAN-China Declaration on Tourism Cooperation, noting that the importance of tourism, a key driver of economic growth, was still low compared to the pre-Covid performance.

He also expressed his intention to attend the upcoming China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning in addition to the BRI Summit in Beijing.

A main takeaway from today’s ASEAN-China Summit was that ASEAN leaders hope to see harmonious relations between China and the US so that both powers will continue to provide economic and trade benefits to the region.