BEIJING: On his first visit to China as Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet is shaking hands and holding meetings with major Chinese investors as he pushes for more contribution towards Cambodia’s socio-economic development. On September 14, the first day of his visit, the PM met with leaders from Chinese companies that specialize in energy, technology and infrastructure, securing pledges of continued cooperation and expansion under his administration.
His first meeting was with Han Xiaojun, Chairman of Sinomach Heavy Equipment Group, which has invested nearly $3 billion in Cambodian projects, particularly in constructing power grids and power plants. He also met with Wen Shugang, the Chairman of the Board of Directors for one largest state-owned electricity generation enterprises in China, the China Huaneng Group, to discuss similar matters. He instructed the relevant ministries and institutions back home to cooperate with Sinomach and the Huaneng Group on finding more potential projects to contribute clean, sustainable and affordable projects to the energy sector.
The PM also met with China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) President Wang Tongzhou, where he praised the company’s vital contributions to Cambodia’s infrastructure in being the primary investor in the Kingdom’s new roads, bridges and expressways under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. He thanked the CRBC for enhancing Cambodia's competitiveness through the improvement of logistics systems, especially in the completion of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway last year.
In a meeting with Huawei Technology Chairman Liang Hua, the PM thanked Huawei for cooperating with Cambodia’s ministries and institutions to help build and develop telecommunication infrastructure for over two decades. He said he hoped the company would continue to import new and modern technology from China to Cambodia and to continue providing digital skills training to Cambodians.
In each meeting, the PM reaffirmed the enthusiasm and support that the Cambodian government has for foreign investment to meet his country’s socio-economic needs. The company leaders congratulated the PM on his new role as Cambodia’s first new leader in over 38 years, and expressed interest in continuing to build professional relations under his administration.
