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.