PHNOM PENH, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- The value of
imports and exports passing through the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone
(SSEZ) in Cambodia reached 3.36 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, a year-on-year
increase of 34.8 percent, the zone operator said in a recent statement.
Jointly ventured by Chinese and Cambodian
investors, the SSEZ is a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI).
"The trade volume through the SSEZ
accounted for approximately 7.18 percent of Cambodia's total trade
volume," the statement said.
The 11-square-km economic zone has
attracted a cumulative investment of 2.27 billion dollars, accommodating a
total of 180 enterprises from China, Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia
and other countries and regions, creating about 30,000 jobs for local people.
Sok Siphana, a senior minister and chairman
emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Asian Vision Institute, said that the
SSEZ, together with other major BRI projects, have significantly promoted
Cambodia's economic development and connectivity.
"The construction of multiple
industrial parks such as Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, and the capital
increase and production expansion of car tire and cement plants have improved
the level of industrialization in Cambodia and created a large number of jobs
and tax revenues for the country," he told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Neak Chandarith, director of the Cambodia
21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center, said the SSEZ is located near
the deep-water Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, which is convenient for trade
between Cambodia and the rest of the world.
"The SSEZ has contributed to boosting
Cambodia's economic growth," he told Xinhua on Monday. "This
industrial zone, along with other BRI projects, has been playing an important
role in helping Cambodia achieve its ambitious goals of becoming an
upper-middle income country by 2030 and a high-income nation by 2050."
|