PHNOM PENH: As foreign direct investment inflows fell, local investors are now stepped in, investing more than $ 1.7 billion by the end of the third quarter.

Local leads the investment with over $1.7 billion accounting for nearly 60% of total investment in Cambodia, with Chinese investment coming in second. This is according to figures stamped by The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC).

From January to September 2022, the CDC approved a total of 150 investment projects totaling $3,500 million, with Cambodian investors leading the way with over $1,700 million accounting for 50.94% of total investment, more than doubling from the same period in 2021 when nearly $700 million investment accounted for only 20.74%. China, once the country's largest investor, came in second with more than $ 1.5 billion, accounting for 43.98% of the total.

Thailand follows China with an investment of approximately $ 44 million, accounting for 1.27%. Japan came in fourth place, accounting for 1.14% of total investment with $ 40 million.

In the first nine months, investment in agriculture and agro-industry totaled seven projects worth more than $104 million, and 132 industrial projects worth nearly $1,400 million. Tourism has three projects worth more than 164 million US dollars, and infrastructure and other projects with eight projects worth 1.8 billion US dollars.