PHNOM PENH: Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Cambodia, has said that China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)-driven investments have significantly contributed to building infrastructure, boosting economic growth, and alleviating poverty in Cambodia.

In a congratulatory message on the first anniversary of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway dated Nov. 6, Samdech Thipadei said the expressway, the first of its kind in Cambodia, is one of the mega projects under the BRI.

The expressway, connecting Phnom Penh’s capital, the first economic pole, to the second economic pole of Sihanoukville of Preah Sihanouk province, which is being developed into a “Model Multi-purpose Special Economic Zone,” has been playing a key role in improving the efficiency of people’s travel, helping avoid traffic jams and shortening the travel time to about two hours only, the Premier stressed.

“The company’s investment in the development of the expressway has shown tangible benefits that Cambodia has received from the BRI and the invaluable iron-clad friendship cooperation between Cambodia and China,” he added.

Initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, BRI is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organizations.