Cambodia is betting on more financial support from China, including infrastructure, while President Xi Jinping visits the country on Thursday (April 17) at the end of a Three nations trip to Southeast Asiasaid a spokesperson for the Cambodian government.
The country, which is a major exporter of clothing and shoes in the United States, was Hit with a price of 49% “reciprocal” By US President Donald Trump, one of the highest rates in the world, before most tasks were interrupted until July.
Phnom Penh is also a partner close to China, which has invested billions of dollars in projects such as roads and airports, and is the largest creditor in the country.
“We expect more cooperation, including the development of infrastructure,” said Reuters the day before Xi in Phnom Penh.
He answered a question of whether Cambodia expected Beijing to announce Financial support for a 180 km channelwhich is the most ambitious infrastructure project in the country.
In an article published Thursday morning on the Cambodian media, Xi urged Phnom Penh to oppose “hegemonism” and “protectionism”, repeating the messages he sent earlier this week to Vietnam and Malaysia in the first two legs of his trip.
He listed Chinese infrastructure projects prior to Cambodia who benefited the local economy but has not mentioned any new specific project in his article.
The Cambodian government said that China would pay for the Funan Techo canal, which would extend from the Mekong river, from a site near Phnom Penh, to the coast on the Gulf of Thailand, diverting the water from the fragiles of the Mekong Delta which pushes the rice and reducing Cambodian expedition through Vietnamese ports.
Until now, China has made no public financial commitment to the project, while Phnom Penh has changed its declarations on Chinese engagement of coverage of 100% to 49% of total costs, estimated at $ 1.7 billion, or almost 4% of Cambodia gross domestic product.
