PHNOM PENH: Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, urged the completion of the India-Myanmar-Thailand trilateral expressway as soon as possible, with expansion to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.

This initiative is critical for incorporating the ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan (MPAC) 2025 and India Connectivity into the Framework Policy towards Action from the East.

The call was made at the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The 30th Anniversary of the ASEAN-India Dialogue Partnership and the 12th Delhi Dialogue on “Building Indo-Bridges” (Pacific) were held in New Delhi on June 16, 2022.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently declared that India will lend Cambodia $1 billion for the India-Myanmar-Thailand Expressway project, which is a vital link to Cambodia.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the necessity of completing the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway as soon as possible by expanding to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam to improve economic and trade operations and people-to-people contacts between the two regions.

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37 roads and additional 4 major plan for Cambodia of BRI project

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has reaped numerous benefits from China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China has offered aid and is planning to construct 37 highways totaling 3,636 kilometers in Cambodia.

Thirty of these roads have been built, three more are under construction, and four more will open in the near future. Mr. Sun Chanthol, Senior Minister, Minister of Public Works and Transport, stated this in an interview with a newspaper this week.

He stated that in order for a country to develop on the globe, there must be a transportation relationship between one country and another, and between the people of one country and the people of another. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of China has provided transportation advantages that have decreased shipping prices globally.

The Senior Minister stated that Cambodia has benefited immensely, and the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway is also part of the Belt and Road Initiative. “China has assisted and is ready to build 37 highways totaling 3,636 kilometers, 30 of which have been completed, three are under construction, and four will be completed in the near future,” he said.

“We have some more highways in the five-year rolling plan for our ally China, such as the road from Battambang to Siem Reap, the route from Kampong Thom to Kampong Chhnang, and so on,” he stated. “We will soon urge our friend to assist the Phnom Penh Expressway to the Vietnamese-Bavet-Mok Bai border.”

“We will look into upgrading the railway from a slow to a fast track,” he said. Another project with Samdech Techo Hun Sen’s clearance for China to assess water transfer from the Bassac River to Kep.