MELBOURNE, Australia – Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister, H.E. Sun Chanthol, met with a delegation of Australian business leaders and investment experts in Melbourne on Wednesday to promote new investment opportunities within the Southeast Asian nation.
The roundtable discussion and lunch, hosted by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), brought together key figures to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
Peter Horn, Austrade’s General Manager of Investment, opened the meeting by acknowledging the strong bilateral relationship, which includes Australia’s historical role in Cambodia’s peace process through the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC).
Following his thanks to Australia for its ongoing support in Cambodia’s socio-economic development, Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol provided a comprehensive overview of the country’s current investment climate, highlighting the government’s long-term vision to promote peace and stability, develop infrastructure, improve the trade environment, and diversify the economy in pursuit of becoming a high-income nation by 2050.
The discussion also featured testimonials from Australian investors with firsthand experience in Cambodia. Stephen Higgins and Morgan Hart shared positive accounts of the country’s development and highlighted its favorable investment policies, noting that they found them to be more accommodating than those in other regional countries.
Following the presentations and a lively exchange of ideas, several Australian investors on the panel expressed significant interest in visiting Cambodia to explore potential investment opportunities in the near future.
On the same day, the Cambodian delegation also paid a visit to Rio Tinto’s research and development facility in Bundoora. During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister, accompanied by Stuart Watson, the Head of Technical Strategy, learned about the company’s latest innovations in sustainable mining.
The tour showcased new technologies designed to improve operational efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and incorporate responsible business principles. Following the presentation, the Deputy Prime Minister extended an invitation for the company’s Chairman to visit Cambodia to explore the country’s investment opportunities and progress firsthand.
