More Chinese are coming to Cambodia, will shooting on sight follow them?

Cambodian, Chinese firms sign co-op MOUs

2012-05-19
Xinhua

PHNOM PENH - Cambodian and Chinese firms on Friday signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on business cooperation in the fields of agriculture, mineral resources, food, garment, and electronic products.

Ten MoUs were signed between Chinese companies and a Cambodia's Power Partner Profit Group under the witness of Serei Kosal, Cambodia's senior minister in charge of special mission.

The Chinese firms engaged in the MOUs including Yunnan Yunmanganese Group doing business in mineral exploitation, water resource and electric power, real estate and rubber; Sinsing Rubber; Sichuan Jingong Chuanpai Flavoring; and Gao Shun Settles Down doing business in cassava.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Lt. Gen. Yim Sawvy, Chief Executive Officer of Cambodia's Power Partner Profit Group, said the 10 MOUs are involved in the business cooperation on natural rubber, rice, cassava, wooden furniture manufacturing, black pepper, mineral resources, electronic projects, industrial equipment products, clothing material, and chicken soup ingredient products.

He said through the MOUs, his group of companies expect to export 60,000 tons of rubber latex, 500,000 tons of rice, 1 million tons of cassava, and 3,500 tons of black pepper to China to supply those Chinese firms.

ចោម​លឹត៖ ចិន​ និង​កម្ពុជា​ជា​ដៃគូ​ដ៏​ល្អ ​ជា​មិត្តសម្បត្តិ​រតនៈ​ [ចំណែក ខ្មែរ-យួន ជាមិត្តជាប់ច្រវាក់]

ចិន​ប្ដេជ្ញា​ថា​នឹង​ជំរុញ​ការផ្លាស់​ប្តូ​ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម​ឲ្យ​កើន​ពី​ជាង ​២.៣០០​លាន​ដុល្លារ ​នៅ​ឆ្នាំ​២០១១ ​ដល់​ចំនួន ​៥.០០០​លាន​ដុល្លារ​អាមេរិក​នៅ​ឆ្នាំ២០១៧។ (Reuters)

កម្ពុជា​សុំ​ឱ្យ​ចិន​មក​វិនិយោគ​បន្ថែម​ទៀត

ថ្ងៃអាទិត្យ, 08 ខែមេសា 2012
ដោយ គង់ សុឋានរិទ្ធ វីអូអេ ខ្មែរ | ភ្នំពេញ

«ចិន​ និង​កម្ពុជា​ គឺ​ជា​ប្រទេស​ជិត​ខាង​យ៉ាង​ល្អ ​ដែល​ជឿ​ទុកចិត្ត​គ្នា​ទៅ​វិញ​ទៅ​មក ​ជា​ដៃគូ​ដ៏​ល្អ ​ជា​មិត្ត​ដ៏ល្អ។ ​ប្រវត្តិ​ទំនាក់​ទំនង​ដ៏​យូរលង់ ​មិត្តភាព​យ៉ាង​ជ្រាលជ្រៅ​ជា​ទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ​រតនៈ​រួម​គ្នា​របស់​យើង»។

មន្ដ្រី​ជាន់​ខ្ពស់​របស់​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​កម្ពុជា​បាន​បញ្ជាក់​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​សុក្រ​នេះ​ថា​កម្ពុជា​មាន​ជំហរ​យ៉ាង​ «រឹងមាំ​ច្បាស់លាស់» ​សម្រាប់​កសាង​ទំនាក់​ទំនង​កាន់​តែ​ជិតស្និទ្ធ​បន្ថែម​ទៀត​ជាមួយ​ប្រទេស​ចិន។

លោក ​ចម ​ប្រសិទ្ធ ​ទេសរដ្ឋមន្ដ្រី​និង​ជា​រដ្ឋមន្ដ្រី​ក្រសួង​ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម​កម្ពុជា​បាន​បង្ហាញ​ជំហរ​យ៉ាង​ដូច្នេះ​ ក្នុង​សិក្ខា​សាលា​ក្នុង​ទីក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ​ស្ដីពី​ការ​ជំរុញ​កិច្ចសហ​ប្រតិបត្តិការ​លើ​វិស័យ​សេដុ្ឋកិច្ច​និង​ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម​រវាង​ខេត្ត​យន់ណាន់​និង​កម្ពុជា។

លោក​បាន​បញ្ជាក់​ថា៖

«កម្ពុជា​ សូម​អះអាង​ឡើង​វិញ​ពី​ការ​ប្តេជ្ញាចិត្ត​របស់​ខ្លួន​ក្នុង​ការ​ពង្រឹង​ទំនាក់​ទំនង​ឲ្យ​កាន់​តែ​ជិតស្និទ្ធ​រវាង​កម្ពុជា​និង​ចិន​ដើម្បី​ប្រែក្លាយ​ឲ្យ​ទៅ​ជា​ដៃគូ​យុទ្ធសាស្ដ្រ​គ្រប់​ជ្រុងជ្រោយ​ពិត​ប្រាកដ​មួយ​ ជា​ពិសេស​ខាង​ផ្នែក​សេដ្ឋកិច្ច ​ពាណិជ្ជកម្ម ​វិនិយោគទុន ​នយោបាយ​ និង​សន្ដិសុខ​ ក្នុង​បណ្ដា​ទសវត្សរ៍​ខាង​មុខ»។

Cambodian, Chinese businessmen meet to boost trade

2012-04-07
Xinhua

PHNOM PENH -- A large group of Chinese investors from Yunnan province met with Cambodian businessmen on Friday in bid to further strengthen the two countries' trade and investment cooperation.

The China's Yunnan-Cambodia Economic and Trade Promotion Conference was co-chaired by Li Jiheng, Governor of China's Yunnan province, and Cambodian Minister of Commerce Cham Prasidh.

Speaking at the event, Xiong Qinghua, director general of Yunnan province's Commerce Department, said the conference aimed at promoting trade and economic cooperation activities and exploring business partnership between Cambodian and Yunnan enterprises.

It was attended by business executives from 45 Yunnan enterprises, doing businesses in the fields of energy, construction and real estate, mineral resources, banking and finance, engineering, steel industry, oil and gas, agriculture, food and beverage, publication and arts and culture industry, whilst the Cambodian side was participated by some 250 entrepreneurs.

Cambodia highlights fruitful cooperation with China

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's National Assembly ( CNA) is satisfied with the fruitful relations and cooperation between Cambodia and China on economy and investment, the CNA's President Heng Samrin said Wednesday.

Besides solid political ties between the two countries, the trade and investment relations have been growing very fast, he said during a meeting with visiting Ge Zhenfeng, deputy director of Overseas Chinese Affairs Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress.

On the bilateral trade relation, he said that the two-way trade volume was 1.43 billion U.S. dollars in the first eight months of this year, almost equal to the trade volume in the whole year 2010 that was 1.44 billion U.S. dollars. He added that it is expected the bilateral trade will reach 2 billion U.S. dollars this year.

Cambodia, China trade leaps to 498 mln USD in Q1: data [-Huge trade deficit with China]

June 08, 2011
Xinhua

The bilateral trade between Cambodia and China reached 498 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of this year, 216 percent rise from 157.5 million U.S. dollars in the same period last year, according to statistics from the ministry of commerce on Tuesday.

In the first quarter, Cambodia's exports to China worth 42 million U.S. dollars, up 342 percent from 9.5 million U.S. dollars in the same period last year, and imports from China reached 456 million U.S. dollars, up 208 percent correspondingly.

Cambodia's main imports from China are garment raw materials, machinery, foodstuff, electronics, furniture, light products, medicines and cosmetics.

China's footprint in Thailand expands

$1.5b trade centre in Bangkok sign of growing presence

20-01-2011
Nirmal Ghosh
The Straits Times

As China takes advantage of its free trade agreement with Asean and lower tariffs in Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Burma, trade throughout the region will be spurred by its dramatically expanding footprint in Thailand.

Indeed, a model of the huge, 104,000 sq m, 45 billion baht (US$1.47 billion) China City trading complex on the outskirts of Bangkok was the centre of attention at the 1st Asean-China Business Conference - a one-day meeting in Bangkok on Tuesday (January 19).

The trade centre alone is expected to create an estimated 70,000 new jobs when it is completed in two years, said Thailand's deputy commerce minister Alongkorn Ponlaboot, in opening the meeting.

Dong Hongqi, president of Ashima Yunnan Cultural Industry Group, the lead Chinese investor, said that the trade centre would generate 45 billion to 50 billion baht worth of intra-Asean trade annually.

Cambodia's Trade with China up 41.5 pct in 2010 [-Huge trade deficit for Cambodia!]

2011-01-18
Xinhua

Bilateral trades between Cambodia and China increased 41.5 percent in 2010 compared with that of 2009, official statistics showed on Tuesday.

The two countries' total trade volume hit 1.12 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, up 41.5 percent from about 791 million U.S. dollars in 2009, according to the statistics from the department of statistics and planning of the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday.

Of the figure, Cambodia's exports to China worth 56.8 million U. S. dollars, increased nearly four folds from 15 million U.S. dollars in 2009 and Cambodia's imports from China reached 1.07 billion U.S. dollars, up 37.8 percent from 776 million U.S. dollars in 2009.

China trade surpasses 2009

Friday, 05 November 2010
May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post

TRADE between Cambodia and China over the first nine months of 2010 has already surpassed the total amout recorded last year, according to figures from the Ministry of Commerce’s Camcontrol department obtained yesterday.

Bilateral trade totalled US$813 million in 2010 to the end of September, a 3 percent rise compared to the whole of 2009, the figures revealed.

The data was released as 16 deals were inked in Phnom Penh between officials and businessmen from the two countries, presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Wu Bangguo, chairman of the standing committee of China’s National Peoples Congress.

One of the deals saw Cambodia’s largest mobile provider, Mobitel secure US$591 million in refinancing, with the Bank of China as lead arranger.

Speaking after the meeting, Kaom Kosal, cabinet chief of Cambodia’s National Assembly, told reporters that China would import more products from Cambodia in the future, as China regarded the Kingdom as a close neighbour.

“[Wu Bangguo] will help Chinese entrepreneurs import more products from Cambodia, especially rice,” he said.

Some government officials said that trade had surged after the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement kicked in on January 1 this year, reducing tariffs on many goods.

“The recent China Free Trade Agreement helps to increase imports and exports between the two countries,” said Ministry of Commerce Secretary of State Ok Boung.

There was also increased demand for the Kingdom’s exports in China, as living standards and purchasing power was on the upswing in the People’s Republic, he said.

Cambodia’s exports have “increased because their economy is growing, so they need more imports from us”, he said. “Our economy is also improving, as we can produce more for export.”

Cambodia’s exports to China totaled $37 million in the first nine months, a 157 percent increase on shipments during the whole of 2009, according to statistics.

The Kingdom’s main exports to China include agricultural products, rubber, fish products, timber, and garments and textiles, the statistics show.

Ok Boung said Cambodia normally imported raw garment materials and machinery from the People’s Republic.

“I hope there will be an even larger increase in the future, as the two nations have done a lot of trade deals with each other,” he said.

China's big appetite for Asean goods to continue

2010/09/03
From Ooi Tee Ching
Business Times (Myanmar)

NANNING (China): China's hunger for goods from Asean is expected to continue and this spells opportunity for Malaysian exporters.

China is already Malaysia's largest trading partner with trade at US$36.3 billion (RM114 billion) last year. It has also signed its first-ever free trade pact with the Asean grouping.

"The Chinese government encourages imports from Asean, of which annual import value has exceeded US$1 trillion (RM3.13 trillion) for two straight years.

"We expect such momentum to accelerate," the China-Asean Expo (Caexpo) secretariat's secretary-general Zheng Jun Jian said.

He was speaking to reporters at the seventh Caexpo promotional conference here yesterday.

Under the trade pact, known as the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation, 90 per cent of goods traded between China and the six original Asean members - Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - are tax-free from this year.

The other four Asean members, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, will only enjoy this tax-free trading environment on goods from 2015.

This year's Caexpo, an event which started in 2004, will showcase exhibitors from the food and beverage industry, small- and medium-scale enterprises, and the services sector, such as construction, property investment, port management and logistics, education and tourism.

It will be held here from October 20 to 24.

Zheng is expecting 30,000 buyers to visit.

Last year, Caexpo attracted 2,450 exhibitors and concluded sales of US$1.65 billion (RM5.16 billion).

China's Ministry of Commerce has listed Caexpo as one of its major trade fairs. The Caexpo series is the only international expo jointly sponsored by the governments of China and Asean.

Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) is coordinating Malaysia's participation.

This year, Caexpo aims to further promote the China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) and bring about opportunities for growth in investment cooperation and trade services. The Cafta market covers 1.9 billion people.

As Asia's biggest economy, China is committed to growing trade and investment with Asean. Last year, it allocated US$25 billion (RM78 billion) for two separate funds.

The first was a US$10 billion (RM31 billion) China-Asean Investment Cooperation Fund administered by The Export-Import Bank of China.

The second initiative, which spans the next five years, sees Chinese banks offering loans amounting to US$15 billion (RM47 billion) to Asean countries, with preferential terms such as lower payback rates. Businesses in Asean are also encouraged to apply for the cheap loans through the Chinese embassy in their respective countries.

Sichuan Trade Mission Due Next Week

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Wednesday, 12 May 2010

"If we receive investment from Sichuan, it will help push our economic growth through investment and trade exchange."

A Chinese delegation from the province of Sichuan will travel to Cambodia for the first time next week in search of investment options, on the heals of deepening ties between the two countries.

The delegation, led by Sun Yuan, president of the Sichuan Chamber of Commerce, will meet with National Assembly President Heng Samrin, lawmakers and trade officials.

The five-day visit is a fact-finding mission for Sichuan business leaders, who hope to build ties, especially in the trade of commercial goods, said Korm Kosal, Heng Samrin’s cabinet chief.

Nguon Meng Tech, secretary-general of the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce, said Cambodia has no Sichuan companies. However, he said, he hopes to convince investors on the visit to build agricultural businesses, expand tourism and bring construction and mining companies.

“If we receive investment from Sichuan, it will help push our economic growth through investment and trade exchange,” he said.

The visit comes follows an announcement last week that Cambodia will expand consular services to six cities in China and a $1.2 billion development pledge from Beijing in December 2009.

In October 2009, Prime Minister Hun Sen took more than 100 Cambodian companies to Sichuan province in an effort to woo investment.

Cambodian People’s Party lawmaker Cheam Yiep said Heng Samrin will explain to the delegation the investor-friendly laws of Cambodia, which include tax incentives, land concessions, zero import duties for construction materials and zero export tariffs on some products.

Economist Kong Chandararoth said the visit marked a “new step” in Chinese-Cambodian investment.

“Cambodia will be able to strengthen its economic growth if Sichuan comes to invest,” he said.

China-ASEAN FTA to greatly benefit Cambodia and region: officials

By Zhang Ruiling and Lei Bosong

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian government officials expressed their belief that the establishment of the China-ASEAN free trade area (FTA) on Jan. 1 will be sure to promote the development of trade and economic cooperation of the region and benefit greatly the country and the people.

"We are looking forward to and paid great attentions to the building of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area scheduled on Jan. 1, 2010," Keat Chhon, minister of economy and finance, told Xinhua recently.

"Cambodia is a open country and our National Assembly has already approved the agreement of the China-ASEAN FTA," said Keat Chhon at the 4th annual Export-Import and One Province, One Product Exhibition in Phnom Penh.

The China-ASEAN FTA will open up a more extensive and smooth way for Cambodia to develop international trade and economic relations and to make the country a more attractive place to invest, he said.

In November 2002, leaders of China and the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) formally signed the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Co-operation between China and the ASEAN in Phnom Penh, marking the beginning of the construction process of a China-ASEAN free trade area. As enshrined in the agreement, China-ASEAN FTA will be completed in 2010.

The free trade agreement will lift tariffs on most commodities between China and ASEAN countries.

Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh also said that "with FRA, the market in China will be widely open, and Cambodia has a lot of agricultural products to export and right now China may have more money than the U.S. to buy the goods."

Cambodia enjoys excellent geographic position and has a political stability, as well as preferential policies for foreign direct investment, the minister said. So he hopes the duty-free status for goods will attract and encourage more Chinese investorsto invest in Cambodia, helping Cambodia expand manufacturing. At the same time, investors in Cambodia can produce and export large numbers of high quality products not only to China but also to more than 560 million people in the ASEAN regional markets.

Moreover, agro-industries, agriculture and manufacturing are among several areas that Cambodia is encouraging businesses to invest in, Prasidh said.

The bilateral trade between China and ASEAN member countries keeps rising greatly at present, ASEAN would become one of China's top trade partners in 2010 when the China-ASEAN FTA is in place.

The China-ASEAN FTA will become the world's most populous free trade area, with a total population of 1.9 billion, and will be a new engine to drive the growth of the world economy, observers here said.

"Cambodia is a potential exporting country in the region," stressed Cham Prasidh.

"As Cambodia is located in the center of the region, it provides favorable conditions for investors in exporting their products to 310 million people in the Greater Mekong Sub-region and 560 million people in ASEAN as well as other countries around the world where Cambodia got the MFN and GSP," he said.

To open their markets to each other, both consumers and businesses from China and ASEAN are increasingly feeling the benefits of a free trade area, he said. Due to tariff reduction, consumers can consume each other's products more cheaper, and enterprises can import duty-free products for their products and thus lower production costs, improving product competitiveness, gain greater market development, he added.

The building of the China-ASEAN FTA will not only have a great impetus for the trade and economic cooperation between China and ASEAN, but also will play a key role in promoting the region's economic growth as well as the capacity to resist such attacks as that from the world financial crisis, the minister said.

Seminar held to promote China-Cambodia trade cooperation

2009-11-17
Xinhua

A seminar of China-Cambodia Business and Investment was held Monday in Phnom Penh with the participation of more than 100 Cambodian and Chinese business people.

The seminer was co-sponsored by Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and China Council for the Promotiong of International Trade.

The seminer was aimed at strengthening the understanding between two countries' business people and further promoting the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Kith Meng, president of Cambodia's Chamber of Commerce said at the meeting that China has been the leading investment partner with Cambodia over the past 15 years with which the total investment was $6 billion.

According to the government's data, China's main investments to Cambodia are on hydropower, trading, tourism, agriculture, telecommunication and infrastructure.

Besides the investment sector, China is also considered one of the biggest donors to Cambodia after Japan.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has recently lauded China's assistance to Cambodia and that he said it has helped improved the livelihood of the Cambodian people, especially, the assistance in infrastructure such as bridges and roads.

Sun Weiren, the economic and commercial counsellor of Chinese Embassy in Cambodia said China has built more than 1,500 kilometers of roads in Cambodia and now hydropower is one of the main projects being implemented in the country.

He said there are seven projects involving in hydropower and power connection lines in Cambodia, totaling more than $720 million, and there are about 700 Chinese companies are running businesses in Cambodia including the small scale business, garment factories and other enterprises.

China to give Cambodia $215 mln to build roads

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, left, sees off Jia Qinglin, the fourth-most-powerful person in China's Communist Party, after a signing ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008. Cambodia on Wednesday have received a loan US$207 million from China for infrastructure projects promoting economic development in the country's remote areas. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)

PHNOM PENH, Dec 3 (Reuters) - China is to give Cambodia aid and loans worth $215 million for road construction, and the two countries have also agreed to step up trade between them, officials said on Wednesday.

They expected trade flows to reach $1 billion by 2010 from $933 million last year, the officials said.

Beijing, which gave Cambodia $600 million in assistance in 2007, is looking to expand cooperation in oil and mineral exploration, Cambodian Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said, adding that his country welcomed this.

The announcements came as a Chinese delegation visited the Southeast Asian country to mark the fiftieth anniversary of diplomatic ties between them.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Alan Raybould)

China to promote Sino-Cambodian relations to new stage

PHNOM PENH, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- China will work with Cambodia to promote bilateral good-neighborly friendship and reciprocal cooperation to a new stage, said China's top political advisor Jia Qinglin here Wednesday at a meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), made a three-point proposal for furthering bilateral cooperation.

The first is to expand economic and trade cooperation of mutual benefit. The two sides should make joint efforts for an early realization of an annual bilateral trade volume of one billion U.S. dollars set for the year 2010.

The Chinese side supports reciprocal cooperation in various forms between enterprises of the two sides, and hopes the Cambodian side will provide facilities for bilateral cooperation.

The second is to strengthen cooperation in other fields such as culture, education, tourism and health, and expand exchanges between young people of the two countries.

The third is to enhance contacts between political parties of the two countries.

Jia, who arrived here Tuesday on an official goodwill visit as guest of Cambodian Senate President Chea Sim, said Sino-Cambodian friendship based on the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence conforms to the aspirations and fundamental interests of the two peoples.

China's policy on the development of bilateral friendship, which is part of China's foreign policy, will not change, said Jia, adding that China appreciates Cambodia's adherence to the one-China policy.

Jia also spoke highly of the development of bilateral relations in the past five decades of diplomatic ties.

Hun Sen said the Cambodian government attaches great importance to its friendly relations with China and will work with the Chinese side to expand bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields and strengthen coordination and support in international affairs.

He said China's development will not only benefit itself, but also contribute to peace and development of the region and the world at large.

Cambodia is the last leg of Jia's four-nation visit which has taken him to Jordan, Turkey and Laos.