Senior business leaders from China, Malaysia and Cambodia welcomed the new Cambodia Malaysia China (CMC) High-Tech Park at a Summit on Friday 22 March that was presided over by Cambodian Labour Minister H.E Heng Sour.

The Cambodia-China Business Leaders’ Summit was hosted by the Cambodia-China Friendship Development and Investment Association (CCFD-IA). This Phnom Penh-headquartered organization is dedicated to cultural exchanges and cross-border investment between China and Cambodia. It has liaison offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, and Jinan in China, as well in Malaysia.

Attendees welcomed the news about the new CMC High-Tech Park, which was first announced earlier in the week. The Park will host international manufacturers and facilities for labour and vocational training. Once complete, it will occupy 2,000 hectares, or 20 square kilometres, of land near Phnom Penh.

Daniel Ho addressed the Summit in two separate sessions. He discussed the CMC High-Tech Park project and Cambodia’s investment climate.

Other prominent presenters at the Summit included Minister Sour; Oknha Chandy Mann, Chairman of PHD Group; and H.E. Mr Youn Heng, Deputy Secretary General of the Cambodian Investment Committee of the Council for the Development of Cambodia.

Several prominent Chinese business leaders also addressed the attendees. Among these was Mr Zheng Pei Xin, who serves as President of Shaanxi Chamber of Commerce in Shandong Province, Executive Vice President of Han Chamber of Commerce, and Chairman of Jin Yi Holdings Group.

In his remarks, Mr Ho said Cambodia’s investment climate has only gotten stronger over the past two years.

“The growth rate hit 5.5% last year,” he said. “The key sectors are garments, construction, agriculture, and tourism. Cambodia has transformed itself into a modern, international, middle-income country.

“We are launching the CMC High-Tech Park because Cambodia is already home to some of the world’s biggest brands, and many of them are producing their goods near Phnom Penh and in close proximity to our new Park.

“We believe the new Park will benefit from the ongoing expansion by existing manufacturers. We also see an untapped pool of demand from other manufacturers and suppliers who need to locate nearby.

“Looking forward, we expect Cambodia’s investment climate to continue improving as more foreign investment chooses the country and new infrastructure is launched.