China provides largest loan to Cambodia for agriculture, irrigation development [... right after the ASEAN FM meeting fiasco]

PHNOM PENH, July 17 (Xinhua) -- China is the largest provider of financial assistance to Cambodia for agriculture and irrigation development in the last three years, Cambodia's Minister of Finance Keat Chhon said here on Tuesday.

Since 2010 to date, he said, Cambodia has received a total loan of 561 million U.S. dollars and a total grant of 22 million U.S. dollars from South Korea, India, China, Japan and France.

"Of the amount, China's soft loan to Cambodia is 436 million U.S. dollars," he said in an economic conference at the National Assembly. "We show that China is playing very important role to promote Cambodia's agricultural development and irrigation system construction."

The minister said that besides, Cambodia also received the loan of 88 million U.S. dollars from the Asian Development Bank, and 24. 2 million U.S. dollar loan and 17.5 million U.S. dollar grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

China may fund Cambodia-Vietnam rail

A tuk-tuk crosses railway tracks on the outskirts of Phnom Penh last year. Photograph: Heng Chivoan/Phnom Penh Post

Wednesday, 13 June 2012
Rann Reuy
The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodia was in discussions with the Chinese government on funding for a 250-kilometre stretch of rail line between Phnom Penh and Vietnam, in what Cambodian officials yesterday called a move away from a “complicated” Asian Development Bank loan.

Va Sim Sorya, director general at the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, said the government could do without the requirements tagged to ADB loans, and fund the project with up to US$600 million in Chinese backing.

“China doesn’t have so many conditions, but Chinese technicians are still well-studied,” he said yesterday at a workshop on infrastructure, although he did not specify which conditions were undesirable.

Interest rates on ADB concessional loans averaged an annual 1.32 per cent after grace periods, according to data compiled by NGO Forum for Cambodia last year.

China’s concessional lending held the highest rates from any institution or country at an average 1.83 per cent per year.

Cambodia begins road project with China's loan

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Tuesday broke ground to broaden a 40.5 kilometer section of the national road No. 6, which is a major road for tourism and trade activities.

The work began from eastern Phnom Penh's Russei Keo district to Bateay district of Kampong Cham province. The road will be widened from the current 7 meters to 26 meters.

The ground-breaking ceremony were presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue.

Hun Sen said the project was to keep up with the rapid development of the country's economy and tourism sector.

$500 million in Chinese loan to Hun Xen’s regime [-លុយក្រដាសចិនជួយ?]

Li Ruogu and Hun Xen at the Eternal Peace building on 01 Feb 2012 (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)

02 February 2012
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch

0n 01 Feb 2012, the Chairman of China Eximbank agreed to provide $500 million in loan to Cambodia as requested by Hun Xen. The funds will be used in 7 development projects.

Among the 7 development projects features the construction of National Road No. 6 from the intersection in Kampong Cham province to Siem Reap province, an economic and touristic road linking Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. It is not known when this construction will take place yet.

The loan agreement took place during the meeting between Li Ruogu and Hun Xen at the Eternal Peace building on 01 Feb 2012.

Cambodia mired in $4 billion debt to China

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

26 October 2011
By Silapol
Free Press Magazine Online
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

During the past few years, it was found that Cambodia owed Communist China by almost $4 billion already. The Chinese loan money was used to build Cambodia’s infrastructure, and the total loan amount includes the $500 millions that Cambodia asked to borrow from China last week to repair flood damage.

Cheam Yeap, the chairman of the National Assembly’s economic and finance committee, told reporters recently that: “EU countries are facing economic woes, therefore we have only China left [to borrow from].” He added that the debt owed by Cambodia amounted to close to $7 billion, including $1.8 billion in debt owed to Russia and the US from the 70s and the 80s.

Although the government claimed [that these loans] allowed Cambodia to progress every year from one step to another, economic analysts said that the government does not seem to be anything to improve its economy at all, except for getting itself mired in mounting foreign debt with every passing year.

SRP MP Yim Sovann declared yesterday: “Younger generations will have to pay back these debts. The amount owed to China is larger than that from any other countries, and this could create serious economic instability.”

Cambodia Prepared To Buy Chinese Helicopters

Troops loyal to Cambodian Second Prime Minister Hun Sen take cover as a Soviet-made Mi26 helicopter which deployed them takes off in Siem Reap province, (AP file photo).

Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

The Z-9 series helicopters will be used for disaster management and “to fight terrorism.” (sic!)

Cambodia is set to buy a small fleet of Chinese helicopters that will cost the country nearly $200 million, senior officials say.

The Z-9 series helicopters will be used for disaster management and “to fight terrorism,” Finance Minister Keat Chhon told reporters Tuesday. He did not say how many helicopters are planned.

The deal comes as part of 29 different agreements signed between Cambodia and China during the visit of Zhou Yongkang, a member of China’s communist standing committee.

China to lend Cambodia $195m to buy its helicopters

Chinese Zhi-9 helicopters, the type Cambodia is believed to have ordered, fly past during exercises in southern Kazakhstan. [Reuters]

Mon, 22 Aug 2011
Radio Australia News

China has agreed to lend $US195 million to Cambodia so it can buy Chinese military helicopters.

It is the latest deal in a flurry of trade and investment between the two countries.

The loan would be for an undisclosed number of Chinese-built Zhi-9 (Z-9) utility helicopters, according to official documents seen by Reuters, which covered some 29 agreements signed on Saturday by the two countries.

The Z-9 is a license-built version of the French-made Eurocopter AS 365 Dauphin II first used in the 1980s. Much of Cambodia's military equipment is outdated and in need of repair, with only a few helicopters currently in use.

Cambodian defence ministry spokesman Chhum Sucheat could not confirm how many helicopters would be purchased or when they would be delivered.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Long March with China

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

'Billions' of Dollars in Deals Await Hun Sen in China

Prime Minister Hun Sen walks with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, after reviewing the honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Monday. (Photo: AP)

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Phnom Penh Monday, 13 December 2010

“Cambodia needs infrastructure very much.”

Prime Minister Hun Sen left for China on Monday, where he is expected to sign agreements worth billions of dollars in energy, infrastructure and agriculture projects.

On Sunday, Hun Sen said he was prepared to meet with senior Chinese leaders and sign agreements on 15 different loan, aid and business projects, including the development of a coal-fired electric plant in Preah Sihanouk province. Those would be worth “billions,” he said, without elaborating.

Other projects include construction on 300 kilometers of roads off National Road 4 in Kampot province, irrigation canals and a second bridge linking Phnom Penh to the Chruoy Changvar peninsula between the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers.

Hun Sen will be joined on his visit by the ministers of foreign affairs, commerce, industry, agriculture and transportation, among other senior officials.

Sri Thamrong, a spokesman for Hun Sen, told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport on Monday that the visit signified a relationship that was growing and improving in “all fields.”

The agreements could bring much needed development to Cambodian infrastructure, said Chan Sophal, president of the Economic Association of Cambodia.

“Cambodia needs infrastructure very much,” he said. “We still lack agricultural irrigation systems, bridges, roads and more. So I see the construction of this infrastructure as the right point that our economy needs.”

In November, China pledged $1.6 billion in infrastructure projects over the next five years. Meanwhile, trade between the two countries continues to grow.

China has imported nearly $1 billion in goods to Cambodia this year, up from $881 million in 2009. Cambodia has exported $48 million in goods so this year, up from $16 million the year before.

Cambodia to borrow $591m from Chinese banks

November 4 2010
By Jamil Anderlini in Beijing
Financial Times

Cambodia’s largest mobile phone company will borrow $591m from Chinese banks to help pay for a contract with Chinese telecom group Huawei Technologies.

The loan, which will be the biggest financing project of its kind in Cambodia’s history, underscores the growing influence of China and its companies in the country’s economy.

CamGSM, the wholly-owned telecom subsidiary of Royal Group, Cambodia’s largest private conglomerate, will sign a financing package arranged by Bank of China, and a five-year $500m equipment and services contract with Huawei in a ceremony scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The signing ceremony in the capital Phnom Penh will be attended by Wu Banguo, one of the nine most powerful men in China’s communist hierarchy. A number of other agreements, including large electricity deals involving Chinese state power producer Huadian, will also be signed during Mr Wu’s visit.

The flurry of Sino-Cambodian deals comes just three days after Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, said during a visit to Phnom Penh that Cambodia should maintain a foreign policy that was not “too dependent” on China.

Chinese companies have built much of Cambodia’s infrastructure and Beijing is one of the country’s biggest aid donors.

Diplomats and analysts say China’s influence over the country’s internal and external affairs is growing, as evidenced by Cambodia’s decision to repatriate 20 Uighur asylum seekers to China last year following intense pressure from Beijing.

Two days after the deportations China signed $1.2bn worth of investments and aid agreements with Cambodia.

The Uighurs were seeking refugee status because of fears they would be tortured or executed on their return to China.

At the time, the US government called the deportation decision a “violation of Cambodia’s international obligations” and later suspended some military agreements with the country.

The finance and procurement deals to be signed on Thursday between CamGSM, Bank of China and Huawei are not unusual for Chinese companies, which are increasingly looking for growth overseas, especially in emerging markets.

Chinese state-controlled banks regularly provide cheap financing for offshore expansion and Huawei has a $35bn standing credit line from China Development Bank. Huawei did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Royal Group will use part of the $591m Chinese bank loan to refinance a $421m bridging loan from Standard Bank and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, according to Mark Hanna, Royal Group’s chief financial officer.

That loan helped Royal Group last year to buy the majority stake in CamGSM held by Luxembourg-based Millicom International Cellular, giving it 100 per cent control of Cambodia’s largest mobile telecom company.

Additional Reporting by Kathrin Hille

Cambodian rebirth

17 May 2010
PortStrategy

A soft loan from China could dramatically improve Phnom Penh's future

The historic capital city port of Phnom Penh is being reborn after years of neglect, reports Michael King

The port of Phnom Penh is not the usual subject of a major port focus by Port Strategy. It’s not that big, it’s not breaking any new technological ground and it’s not even near the ocean. But it does perfectly illustrate how port development can both facilitate and drive economic growth.

The inland port, located some 348 km up the Mekong River from the South China Sea, is poised to help transform Cambodia from a backwater of globalisation into a country with the potential to ‘do a Vietnam’. In other words, leverage its cheap labour resources, raw materials and willingness to embrace international trade to attract inward investment and boost economic development.

A key logjam to achieving this aim, the chief executive of a leading integrator recently told PS, is that after years of political turmoil and low levels of infrastructure investment, the national transport system is “a mess” and “too expensive”.

“It hasn’t had the logistics backbone to attract the type of inward investments that Vietnam has won.”

The integrator in question is now helping to rebuild Cambodia’s customs service and has started a series of road services linking manufacturers relocating to Cambodia to major markets in Asia and beyond by road and air.

In much the same way, Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP), both port authority and the sole terminal operator, is now trying to smooth the processes and reduce the cost of trading to and from international markets by sea.

Cargo clearance was recently improved by the opening of a new administration building providing a one-stop-shop for shippers and forwarders attempting to access international markets, said PPAP deputy director general, Ieng Veng Sun. New warehousing suitable for bonded and consolidation operations is also planned

However, the big problem for Cambodia’s shippers is that while the country’s largest port, Sihanoukville, has much to offer, it does not have a wide range of international mainline container calls. For most traders in the vicinity of Phnom Penh this has meant trucking or barging cargo to Sihanoukville or ports in Thailand or Vietnam and then feedering cargo to mainline hubs at either Singapore or Hong Kong - not a very good solution for international companies with sophisticated supply chains.

The development in Vietnam of Cai Mep, Asia’s most promising mainline container hub port, is now offering new options.

Located south of Ho Chi Minh City near the mouth of the Mekong in Vietnam, the top names in port development - SSA Marine, Hutchison Port Holdings, APM Terminals and PSA International - are already involved in either running, bidding to manage or constructing terminals at the port.

It was no coincidence that the opening last summer of Cai Mep’s first berths able to host mainline containerships coincided with a steep acceleration of export volumes at Phnom Penh, says Mr Sun.

“With Cai Mep in reach by barge and able to offer hub services, it reduces the time and the cost for shippers,” he says. “To the US, for example, this saves around $100-$200 and 2-3 days for each container.”

PPAP handled 43,312 teu last year. Although the figure was down on the 47,504 teu handled in 2008, volumes are forecast to reach 65,200 teu this year.

“In the first six months of last year volumes were a long way down compared to 2008. From June it really picked up,” he says.

“This year we were up 75% year-on-year in January to 4,547 teu, and up 50% to 3,271 teu in February.”

With existing facilities at PPAP already stretched, plans are now in place to build a new container terminal.

PPAP, a state-owned but autonomous company supervised by both the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the Ministry of Finance and Economics, currently possesses a single container terminal of 20x300 metres dimensions and a 92,000 m2 inland container depot. The port’s maximum draught is a tiny 4.2 metres in the dry season. Only barges carrying less than 100 teu can be received.

PPAP is hoping to secure a soft loan of $28m from the Chinese government to be used to build a new container terminal 30km downstream of existing facilities by 2012. If China provides the loan, subject to clearance from Ministers PPAP will either seek additional assistance or look for private participation.

In phase one, the facility will add an extra of 120,000 teu capacity on 12 hectares of yard working 22x300m of berth. Subsequent expansions would more than double the size of the terminal and take annual capacity to over 300,000 teu.

A dredging programme due to be completed in the next five years will increase the size of the maximum vessel PPAP can receive to over 320 teu, further improving the economics of using PPAP facilities.

By reducing ocean transport costs, in the future Cambodia hopes to attract more manufacturers of more sophisticated products to the country such as major electronics and retailers. But for now, just improving the lot of textile and agricultural exporters and imports to the country’s burgeoning consumer markets would be a start.

“Cambodia’s economy is taking off and we think we can be a big part of that,” adds Mr Sun.

Cambodia: Shanghai Co. awarded to build new deep-sea port and deliver lifting equipment

Jan 27th, 2010
DeredgingToday.com

CHINESE company Shanghai Co has been selected by the government to develop infrastructure at Phnom Penh Autonomous Port (PPAP).

Hei Bavy, director general of PPAP, told the Post Wednesday that the business has been awarded the rights to develop the port from the Cambodian government. It is set to start the project this March and due to finish 30 months later.

The scheme will be funded by a US$30 million Chinese loan, announced by the government in October.

In its first stage, Shanghai will equip the 59-year-old port with modern goods-lifting equipment and build a new port for storing containers in a deep-water area. This will be situated on the Mekong River, in Kien Svay district, 20 kilometres east of Phnom Penh.

“We hope more … containers will be shipped through Phnom Penh Autonomous Port because of this development project,” said Hei Bavy.

It is hoped that after development the port will be able to load from 120,000 to 300,000 standard containers of goods per year, he added. At present, it is able to load a maximum of 50,000 to 60,000 per year.

In 2009, PPAP shipped only 43,500 standard containers of freight, a drop of 7.44 percent compared with 2008, due to the global economic crisis.

Hei Bavy predicted that the shipment of freight at PPAP this year might reach 60,000 containers, due to a predicted increase in rice exports and some other agricultural products.

“I believe that Cambodia will continue to develop in the future. There will be bigger demand for produce, which means transportation services will need to expand too,” Hei Bavy said.

Last week, Chan Nora, secretary of state of the Ministry of Commerce, predicted that business in Cambodia would improve this year because large amounts of agricultural products like rice, corn and rubber had been reserved for export.

After Expelling Uighurs, Cambodia Approves Chinese Investments

December 21, 2009
By SETH MYDANS
The New York Times

BANGKOK — China signed 14 deals with Cambodia on Monday worth approximately $1 billion, two days after Cambodia deported 20 ethnic Uighur asylum seekers under strong pressure from Beijing.

The deportation, in defiance of protests by the United States, the United Nations and human rights groups, came on the day before a visit to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital, by Vice President Xi Jinping of China.

The package of grants and loans was signed at the end of Mr. Xi’s visit. The Cambodian Foreign Ministry quoted Mr. Xi as saying: “It can be said that Sino-Cambodia relations are a model of friendly cooperation.”

The exact value of the agreements was not announced, but the chief government spokesman, Khieu Kanharith, said they were worth $1.2 billion. “China has thanked the government of Cambodia for assisting in sending back these people,” he said. “According to Chinese law, these people are criminals.”

Members of a Turkic-speaking ethnic minority living mostly in western China, the 20 Uighurs said they were fleeing persecution in a crackdown that followed riots in which the Chinese government said at least 197 people were killed.

Hundreds of Uighurs have been detained since then and several people have been executed for involvement in the rioting. At least 43 Uighur men have disappeared, according to Human Rights Watch.

Twenty-two Uighurs entered Cambodia about a month ago, aided by a Christian group that has helped North Koreans fleeing their country. Two of the Uighurs have disappeared, the Cambodian government said.

Before being deported, several of the asylum seekers told the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Cambodia that they feared long jail terms or even the death penalty, according to statements reported by The Associated Press. In the statements, which had been provided to the United Nations in support of asylum applications, the Uighurs described chaotic and bloody scenes during the rioting.

“If I am returned to China, I am sure that I will be sentenced to life imprisonment or the death penalty for my involvement in the Urumqi riots,” said a 29-year-old man.

Another man, a 27-year-old teacher, said: “I can tell the world what is happening to Uighur people, and the Chinese authorities do not want this. If returned, I am certain I would be sent to prison.”

China is Cambodia’s leading investor, committing hundreds of millions of dollars for projects including dams, roads and a headquarters for the government Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh. In October, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China met Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, in Sichuan, China, and concluded a deal worth $853 million.

China signs deal with Cambodia

December 22 2009
By Tim Johnston
Financial Times (UK)

China has signed a substantial development package with Cambodia, just days after the Cambodian authorities repatriated 20 ethnic Uighur asylum seekers to China.

The deals are worth some $1.2bn (€840m, £750m). Phnom Penh's repatriation on Saturday of 20 ethnic Uighurs from Xinjiang province brought widespread protest from the United Nations and western governments.

The Chinese authorities said the Uighurs were suspected criminals who were facing investigation.

China to help Cambodia reconstruct national road

STRUNG TRENG, Cambodia, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- An inauguration ceremony of reconstruction of Cambodia' National Road 78 was launched on Thursday in Strung Treng province, about 500 km northeast of capital Phnom Penh.

The road will be built by Shanghai Construction (Group) Company with the concession loan from China plus five percent of the Cambodian government's budget.

Prime Minister Hun Sen presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the reconstruction of the National Road 78 linking O Porng Moan of Stung Treng province to Rattanakiri's provincial town.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Zhang Jinfeng was also present at the ceremony. Zhang said, "This road will contribute to help transport network in northeastern part of Cambodia."

She said, "It will help to reduce the poverty for people, and reduce the gap between city and rural areas," and "it will also push the social and economic development as quickly as possible."

China and Cambodia will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all fields to serve mutual benefit, and through building infrastructures to push Cambodia's economic growth and social development, she said.

The reconstruction of the 121 km-long road portion will last for 40 months and cost 73.3 million U.S. dollars.

"This road will link the economy from the country's northeastern area to central area," said Hun Sen, adding that "In 2010, we will have 11 road construction projects, of them seven are supported by China." "China has played key role in building infrastructure in Cambodia," he said.

On the occasion, Hun Sen expressed profound thanks to the Chinese government and people for their cooperation and financing, saying it not only helps Cambodia's socio-economic development, but also strengthens the Kingdom's political independence.

The prime minister said the loan from China is aiming at ensuring effective economic development and contributes to help reduce poverty for people and China respected Cambodia's decision in using this loan.

"We could note that China has a good habit of saying less and doing more," the prime minister added.

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Loans

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Click here to read the related article

Donors Continue to Give to Cambodia, But Corruption Concerns Remain

By Rory Byrne, Voice of America
Phnom Penh
20 June 2007

Cambodia's annual donor conference has ended with pledges of almost $700 million in aid, even though donors expressed frustration at continued corruption and poor governance in the country. Cambodia has enjoyed robust economic growth in recent years, but international aid still makes up about half its national budget. Rory Byrne reports from Phnom Penh.

Cambodia was given a mixed review by donors at this year's annual gathering of governments, foreign donors and civic groups, who met in Phnom Penh to thrash out how much aid the country will receive.

The government was given credit for strengthening financial management and improving the country's education and health care systems.

Some human rights groups called on donors to tie aid to progress in combating corruption and ending abuses.

"We would like the donors to link the aid to the improvement of respect of human rights, rule of law, principle of democracy," said Kek Galabru, the president of the Cambodian human rights group Licadho. "You know like, we would like to see the result of the problem of land grabbing. How about the democratic space for Cambodian people - can they demonstrate peacefully? Can they have access to information and have freedom of expression?"

In the end, the aid was given without strings attached, and pledges totaled about $700 million, including a $100 million loan by China. But donors said the government must do more to curb corruption, and to strengthen human rights.

At the core of the concern is the government's failure to enact an anti-corruption law that has languished at the committee stage for years.

Transparency International, which ranks countries by their level of corruption, named Cambodia one of the world's worst - 151 out of 163.

While some progress in drafting the law has been made recently, certain points remain unresolved, including whether government officials must declare their assets, and guarantees that the law will be applied evenly.

Ian Porter, the World Bank's country director for Cambodia, says a strong anti-corruption law is seen as vital before Cambodia begins to pump the oil recently discovered off its southern coast.

"That law remains very important because we continue to think that governance issues are a critical issue that needs to be addressed to ensure that Cambodia continues to have a good record in terms of growth and poverty reduction," he said. "The fight against corruption in Cambodia must remain a very high priority for the government, and in that context, the passage of an anti-corruption law would be very important."

Prime Minister Hun Sen, addressing the conference Tuesday, acknowledged concerns about corruption. He says he is committed to introducing an anti-corruption law, but he gave no indication when the National Assembly would debate the long-awaited bill.

Despite the problems, the country's economy has been booming. Growth has averaged 11.4 percent for the last three years, and the International Monetary Fund predicts a further nine percent increase this year. The increases have come mainly in tourism, construction and garment manufacturing.

Hun Sen praised China for providing unconditional aid to Cambodia

Thursday, June 7, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Prime Minister Hun Sen praised China for providing unconditional aid to Cambodia. Hun Sen made the praise during the opening ceremony for the Prek Ta Meak bridge construction site, on Wednesday. The bridge will be built with Chinese loan. Hun Sen declared that Chinese aid to Cambodia is based on actual needs and it is not linked to any condition, nor will China ask for any payment back. Hun Sen said: “Normally, Chinese aid comes with no condition imposed, based on our need, we requested a bridge in Prek Ta Meak, then they sent people to build the Prek ta Meak bridge without attaching any condition such as telling us to do this or that before they provide us (the aid).” In the past, Hun Sen was irritated with donor countries which imposed on the government to improve its governance, or to ratify the anti-corruption law, etc… Hun Sen considered these demands as violations of Cambodia’s sovereignty.

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KI-Media Note: China Xinhua news agency indicated that the bridge will be built by a Chinese company (and a Chinese company only), and will be finance by a preferential buyer's credit loan from China. Therefore, Cambodian children will have to pay back this loan way after Hun Sen is long gone from power. Click here to read Xinhua's article.

Cambodia launches construction of Prek Tamak Bridge over Mekong River

June 06, 2007

The Cambodian government held ground breaking ceremony here on Wednesday for the construction of the Prek Tamak Bridge over Mekong River.

The project is one of the four Cambodian infrastructure projects under preferential buyer's credit loan from China, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng said while addressing the ceremony, adding that she believes the construction of the bridge will promote the economic development of Cambodia.

According to the project information, the Prek Tamak Bridge is 1,060 meters in length and 13.5 meters in width, with a designed speed of 60 km per hour.

The construction period of the 43.5 million U.S. dollars project will last 50 months, it said. The contractor of the project is China's Shanghai Construction (Group) General Company.

The China Eximbank signed an agreement with the Cambodian government on Jan. 22 to offer 207 million U.S. dollars of loans to develop Cambodian infrastructure construction, including the construction of the National Road No. 8, the National Road No. 76,the Prek Tamak Bridge and another bridge.

Source: Xinhua

Opening of Prek Ta Meak bridge construction sites

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper reported that Prime Minister Hun Sen will inaugurate the opening of the Prek Ta Meak and Prek Kdam bridge construction sites on 06 and 11 June 2007. An official from the Ministry of Public Works said that the planned Prek Ta Meak bridge will be 1060-meter long, and will cost $43 million to build, and the Prek Kdam bridge will be 875-meter long and will cost $28 million. The two bridges will be built the Shanghai company with portion of the $200 million package loan funds provided by China for the construction of National Road No. 8, and a section of National Road No. 76. The Prek Kdam bridge is the first bridge that will cross the Tonle Sap river, linking National Road No. 5 to National Road No. 6. The Prek Ta Meak bridge is the second bridge in Cambodia crossing the Mekong river, the first bridge crossing the Mekong river is the Kizona bridge (Tonle Bit bridge).