Friday, March 19, 2010

Cambodia Looks to China for More Investment

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
18 March 2010


Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday asked Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Hui Liangyu to encourage more Chinese investors to consider Cambodia and to help push development and future exports.

Ieng Sophalleth, a spokesman for Hun Sen, told reporters Thursday the premier told Hui that investment in Cambodia would be a “very strong factor to promote the development of Cambodia.”

Hui “completely” supported the request to encourage more investors and their companies to invest in Cambodia, Ieng Sophalleth said.

“We need more Chinese investors to invest in Cambodia to boost stronger exports,” Ek Tha, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said.

Cambodia and China on Thursday signed agreements to boost investment from China and increase agricultural exports from Cambodia.

The two sides also agreed to increase cooperation in the telecommunications sector and for China to provide equipment and services to CAM GSM through its Huawei Technologies.

In addition, China will consider a Cambodian request for vocational training and agricultural cooperation and help with a national testing center to certify Cambodian export goods.

Cambodia would also like advanced communication equipment for its national disaster management committee. Beijing has provided

Cambodia duty free access for 418 items for export.

Hui said Thursday Cambodia “has high potential for agricultural production, given good climate and lands,” and that the two sides can especially cooperate in the agricultural sector.

Cambodia produced 3.1 million tons of surplus rice in 2009 and 2010, according to government figures.

Its imports from China were $933.43 million in 2008, when it exported $12.93 million in goods the same year.

Meanwhile, China continues to invest in Cambodia, $4.48 billion in 2008, followed by $349.15 million in 2009, a figure reflecting the global financial slowdown.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen is getting smarter and more diplomatic nowsaday. He used to be straight forward and ask for aid and money, but now he uses the word "investment".

Yeah! When the Chinese business people come, they would buy land to build factory. Where the monies from selling lands go?

Not the poor people who had lived on it.

Anonymous said...

Hope Cambodia also looks to China for protection from the youns...

Long live the Khmer Nation!

Anonymous said...

china is growing fast economically. travel there and see for yourself, ok! cambodia can use some of china expertise, really!

Anonymous said...

of course, who to say people can't learn, really! a person's background means nothing anymore in this day and age. it only matters if you are looking for a job because it's the job requirement that dictate this and that, however, a leader like my prime minister, mr. hun sen, i think he is a good leader because he shows reforms and self-discipline. now, how many leaders of the past can say the same? i give my prime minister credit because he changed or reformed a lot since the olden days, you know! now, that's a good sign of a good leader. it is the one who claim to know everything that we have to be wary of, really! please keep up the good job, mr. hun sen. most khmer people love you for doing a great steering cambodia in the right direction. may god bless you and your family and cambodia.

Anonymous said...

first comment wrote:
Yeah! When the Chinese business people come, they would buy land to build factory. Where the monies from selling lands go?


It is not true that the Chinese Companies BUY land.
They lease the land for the Factory.

Seems somebody from Long Beach, Short Beach or some other place outside Cambodia write about things he do not really understand.

Thats why people looking down on Khmer people!

Who else in Cambodia is interested to invest money???

The South Koreans cheated and are gone.

So please always think first when you write a comment.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen is not a good leader, rather, he is a dictator holding power over 30 years and the country is still consider to be the poorest in the world. This idiot is willing to kill and give up Khmer land to Youn for their protection inorder to stay in power. Without illegal Youn immigration in Cambodia, Hun Sen has no chance winning an election. If Khmer continue to praise Hun Sen for his leadership like this idiot above, we Khmer will be a minority within our country in the near future. All Khmer have to wake up and realize that Vietnamization is inevitable unless we all take action against this mad man.

Anonymous said...

that's your opinion, i have one too, you know!

Anonymous said...

Cambodia will never be part of China but it could be part of Vietnam then it's better to make business with China than with Vietnam.
We are more safe to be with China because Vietnam is not a friend of China and China could protect Cambodia against Vietnam.

Anonymous said...

To 4:32, 3:45 and 4:02

You must be blind and stupid. Really. You think Hun Sen is good just because Hun Sen feeds you a meal and pave some dirt road (with donors money). You should think really hard about the Cambodia’s future. You say Hun Sen is reformed, but he just says, and has not done yet. You should not let him fool you. Hun Sen has been in this position for 30 years (a long time). I guess you only see a few building and some roads, but you fail to see liberty and hope. You just have a simple mind.

Anonymous said...

Like it or not, China casts a fixed, permanent influence across South East Asia and is a key factor in Cambodian foreign policy. The current Cambodian regime has done well to balance off foreign powers/suitors in their courting of Cambodia, but at a heavy price, morally and politically. The forced repatriation of Uyghur asylum seekers was part of this cost, carried out in defiance of international and national pledges and commitment towards people seeking sanctuary from state persecution or repression; a plight many Cambodians have had to endure in their country’s recent past.

In the seventies, The Chinese, fearing spreading Soviet influence through Vietnamese expansion began to establish a bulwark against this movement by pouring military hardware and Chinese advisors into Democratic Kampuchea, with Thailand and the rest of the free world in connivance with Beijing’s manoeuvres in the region despite their knowledge of Khmer Rouge atrocities. China’s past involvement, however, counts for little in face of Cambodia’s recurring dilemma.

As Chinese influence increases in the country –albeit this time by means of financial packages rather than solely military ones – so does Vietnamese presence, by several folds over. This should not be seen as entirely indicative of Cambodia’s own preference; rather it is very much an imposed offer; one that she lacks the will power to refuse. It was Chinese military support for Cambodia in the seventies that enabled the Pol Pot faction to break away from the guiding hands of Hanoi. With this in mind, the Vietnamese will try to pre-empt the Chinese over their Cambodian involvement by tightening their grip over the Cambodian economy, military and politics, in addition to numerous territorial bases acquired for logistics precaution.

One suspects that most Khmers, on balance, view Chinese influence as being more productive to Khmer national interests than they would otherwise the intentions of their more immediate neighbours. The accident of geography and history alone would appear to validate this sentiment, and these factors are unlikely to prove, in any way, diminished in terms of their respective configurative part in the making of the Khmer drama, now and in the generations to come. Unlike some sanguine figures in the Phnom Penh regime, this writer does not conform to the trendy optimism that international borders will wither away (disappear) within the next generation or so. Yet were this scenario to be materialised, it would truly be Cambodia’s final demise and tragedy as a nation; an exhausted civilisation finally submerged in the powerful currents of expanding neighbours, within that vague and nominal framework provided by Asean.

It would be a mistake to blame the Chinese for Cambodia’s recent tragic past. Other countries have learned to live with, and even capitalised on, this Asian giant’s influence. Even without Chinese arms, insidious forces much closer to the Khmer people would have succeeded in bringing them to their knees - without leaving behind so much as their bloody finger prints - under the most opportune and expedient of circumstances that are now manifesting themselves before us once more in slightly altered guises. Until territorial justice is secured, China and other major world powers should be engaged for their economic and military support. The Chinese should be asked to review their abandoned military air base project at Kg Chnang as part of their long term investment in Cambodia and the latter’s defensive rebuilding and modernisation. After all, it is in the former’s interest to secure and protect the fruits of their investment.


MP

Anonymous said...

Yes, We want Chinatown in srok KHMER, No! not Little Saigon is allow.

Anonymous said...

When it comes to investment in Cambodia, who is better Yuon or China? In my opinion, either country is fine, as long as the government (aka PM HS and his clans) are bright enough not to sell land to neither country. Also, it would be nice, if the money made from China, if PM HS would build more pubic schools for the rural areas. That's my dream! For now, I think PM Hun Sen is stepping in the right directions! Give him some credits, at least, would you! May Teveda bless Cambodia and its people!

Anonymous said...

MP at 4:56 AM, I don't think most readers understood your point. I think I do. Another word you are saying this Chinese Premier is a
Economic Hitman for China? Watch out for the man with ion teeth behind the smile.

Anonymous said...

How can be duplicate Chile? It was < 10 years ago that this country was a no body and in the hand of a dictator. Prior to the Feb, 2010 earthquake, they were or still is one of the fastest developing and growing economically and raised high standard of living in South America continent. Why can't we do this in Cambodia? We need to change our leader. We need to start thinking 5-10 years ahead, what I'm saying is that we need to cultivate new and brighter leader who would lead Cambodia out of poverty and democratically changed.

Anonymous said...

Wise leaders should be able to lead the country in the right direction by community improvement. e,g increases in new infrastructures like roads, shopping centres, school, universities etc and the only way to do this is to negotiate with all surrounding neighbors in the name of business prosperity, e.g building bridges by using diplomatic dialogue. In other words work smarter not harder. Aust

Anonymous said...

" Anonymous said...
Yes, We want Chinatown in srok KHMER, No! not Little Saigon is allow.

5:29 AM"

YOU STUPID FROG! 5:29pm! DO YOUR MOTHER GAVE YOU SOME EYES AND BRAINE! OR YOUR FATHER GOGET TO FINISH THE JOB?

YOU PUT ANT FOREINER IN ANY CAMBODIAN TOWN BY NOT TELLING THEM THAT THEY ARE IN CAMBODIA THEY WOULD SAY IT'S CHINATOWN!

YOU BRING THEM TO MOST OF FLOTING TOWNS FROM SVAYREING TO SIEREAP THEY WOULD SAY IS BIG SAIGON!

COME TO SEE IT YOURSELF , STUPID FOOL!

Anonymous said...

WHATCH OUT NOT TO LET POL POT ERA REPEATING NOW! ALL THING GO TO CHINA THE WHOLE COUNTRY STAVING TO DEATH!!!

10:04 PM


Anonymous said...
WHATCH OUT NOT TO LET POL POT ERA REPEATING NOW! ALL THING GO TO CHINA THE WHOLE COUNTRY STAVING TO DEATH!!!

10:05 PM


Anonymous said...
WHATCH OUT NOT TO LET POL POT ERA REPEATING NOW! ALL THING GO TO CHINA THE WHOLE COUNTRY STAVING TO DEATH!!!

10:04 PM


Anonymous said...
WHATCH OUT NOT TO LET POL POT ERA REPEATING NOW! ALL THING GO TO CHINA THE WHOLE COUNTRY STAVING TO DEATH!!!

10:05 PM

10:06 PM