Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Wu Yi arrived in Siem Reap province on Friday, kicking off a 5-day visit to the country to shore up bilateral ties between the two nations, Siem Reap Governor Chap Nhalyvoud said.
During her visit, Wu Yi is expected to commit China to a number of projects, including conducting a feasibility study of the so-called “missing link” in the Asean railroad, rehabilitating the office buildings and library of the Senate and providing 400 police motorcycles, according to a statement.
The visit signifies the country’s increased economic relationship with China, which was boosted when China recently agreed to eliminate tariffs on 297 Cambodian agricultural products. In 2000 and 2001, Chinese and Taiwanese companies took the lead among foreign investors here as they set up garment factories to take advantage of the country’s bilateral textile agreement with the US.
Accompanying Wu Yi are executives from “important, very big” companies looking to invest in electricity, garments and information technology, Jimmy Gao, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, said Friday. “For the last five years, Chinese investment has been increasing,” he said.
On her visit, Wu Yi is scheduled to meet with much of the country’s top leadership, including Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cabinet Minister Sok An and Funcinpec President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
Government officials welcomed China’s assistance on Friday.
“It’s very important for Cambodia to complete the Asean railroad,” said Thu Sara, administration director for Royal Railways of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. He had no details on when the feasibility study would begin or how long it would take.
The Chinese also plan to sign an agreement Monday to build a second hydroelectric power plant in Kompong Speu province’s Kirirom National Park, said Ith Praing, secretary of state for the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy. Cetic Co, a Chinese state-owned company that built the first Kirirom plant, is likely to build the proposed $30 million, 18 megawatt power plant, Ith Praing said, though no details are final.
