• Back in 2020, Cambodia's prime minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, established an inter-ministerial commission to accelerate the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project.

• There are 17 members in total, with the Minister of Public Works and Transport, H.E. Sun Chanthol, serving as chairman.

• At its meeting on April 7, 2022, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) has urged China Railway International Group Co., Ltd to complete its study report before the deadline.

• As a result, after the meeting, MPWT offered the company another three months for the company to review and revise its study results or conduct additional research.

PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) has been reviewing China Railway International Group Co., Ltd.'s project to study the Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project by establishing a deadline for the company to complete its report in full and accurately to the standard and quality that can be accepted for inspection and evaluation as a whole.

Mr. So Vector, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, chaired a meeting on April 7, 2022, at the Ministry Office to review the project of China Railway International Group Co., Ltd. to study the expressway connecting Phnom Penh to Bavet City, which included company representatives, Royal Group representatives, and the Ministry's technical working group.

According to the MPWT, the meeting focused on discussing a specific timeline for the company to complete its report in a comprehensive, standardized, and acceptable manner for overall review and evaluation.

The ministry stated that the secretary-general had set aside three months for the company to review and revise its study results or conduct additional research in order to provide a more comprehensive report, and urged the company to complete its studies quickly and on time in order to begin construction of the Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway as soon as possible in accordance with the Royal Government's high recommendations.

To expedite the construction of this expressway, Cambodia's Prime Minister, Samdech Techo Hun Sen, decided in July 2020 to establish an inter-ministerial commission to accelerate the implementation of the expressway infrastructure project connecting Phnom Penh and Bavet. There are 17 members in total, with the Minister of Public Works and Transport, H.E. Sun Chanthol, serving as chairman.

The Japanese agency JICA has previously studied the project to build the expressway, with the route likely to be 135 kilometers long and cost more than 2 billion dollars.