China's aid greatly boosts Cambodia's socio-economic development: Cambodian PM

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said here on Monday that China's aid has greatly contributed to the socioeconomic development and poverty reduction in the Southeast Asian country.

Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a China-funded national road, Hun Sen said China has so far built more than 3,000 km of national roads and a number of big river bridges in Cambodia.

Also, he said China has been a key donor for the development of health care, education, sports, culture, agriculture, irrigation system and clean water supply, among others in the kingdom.

"China's aid has provided a lot of tangible benefits to Cambodia," Hun Sen said. "Our people have greatly benefited from these projects."

He said China is also the first key supplier of vaccines to Cambodia in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cambodian leader expressed his gratitude to the government and people of China for having provided a great amount of grant aid and concessional loans to Cambodia, saying that "a community with a shared future" has increased political and strategic mutual trust between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen hailed the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2022 and has enabled larger market access for 'Made in Cambodia' products, expressing his confidence that the export of Cambodian products such as rice, bananas, mangoes and longans to China will continue to rise in coming years.

"This bilateral FTA has provided us a lot of benefits because China is a huge market with the population of more than 1.4 billion," he said.

Ky Sereyvath, director-general of the Institute of China Studies at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said Chinese aid and investment have played a crucial role in supporting Cambodia's socio-economic development and poverty reduction through generating jobs.

"Under the Belt and Road Initiative, many China-funded mega-projects such as roads, bridges, ports, airports, hydropower plants, economic zones, national stadium and expressway have been implemented in Cambodia," he told Xinhua. "These projects have provided and will continue to provide great benefits to Cambodia and its people."

Joseph Matthews, a senior professor at the BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh, said China's assistance in Cambodia's fight against COVID-19 was "tremendous and invaluable" for the country and its people.

"With the Chinese help, Cambodia has controlled the spread of COVID-19 successfully, resuming all socioeconomic activities and reopening its borders with confidence since November 2021," he told Xinhua. "Chinese vaccines have not only protected the lives of millions of Cambodian people, but also helped boost Cambodia's economic recovery."

Sharing his views on the Cambodia-China ties, Matthews said bilateral relations are currently "as solid as the Great Wall of China, unbreakable and very stable".

"The relations between the two countries are based on mutual help, support, respect, trust, non-interference and co-existence," he said. "I believe that the ties will be stronger and closer in the future."