PHNOM PENH: This past weekend, the 2022 ASEAN summit was held in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, with a China delegation led by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Chinese Premier announced at the event that Beijing has approved Chinese investment in major infrastructure projects in the ASEAN region.

Among the two mega projects approved, are a US$1.6 billion expressway to be built from Phnom Penh to Bavet on the Cambodian-Vietnamese border, and financial support for the rail link between Phnom Penh, Bangkok, and Vientiane, Laos, from which a high-speed rail link to China has already been built.

During the signing ceremony, Cambodian Public Works and Transport Minister Sun Chanthol stated that the Phnom Penh expressway would connect with Vietnam’s expressway between Ho Chi Minh City and the Moc Bai border gate with Bavet, providing direct highway access between the Cambodian and Vietnamese capitals.

Both the expressway and the rail link are expected to be completed by the end of 2026 or early 2027, according to the minister, and will form an important link with Asian Highway 1, which connects China to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam via Myanmar.