Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice-Chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) Sun Chanthol on Saturday led a delegation to
inspect the progress made at the Stung Bot international gate – connecting Thailand – as well as the companies currently operating in Banteay Meanchey province.
According to a CDC press release, the international gate on the Cambodian side has been completed since August last year and vehicles have been allowed to transport goods and products through this entrance since then.
However, the release added that the gate has neither been inaugurated nor announced for official use as the Royal Government (RGC) is waiting for Thailand to finish the necessary infrastructure of the entrance on its side.
The tour visit was initiated at the 27th meeting of the Cambodia-Japan Joint Committee held in mid-February this year aimed at enabling JICA to achieve concrete progress on the development of the construction of the Stung Bot-Ban Nong Ian International Border.
The Deputy Prime Minister was accompanied by the Governor of Banteay Meanchey Provincial Board, leaders and representatives from relevant ministries and institutions, specialists in project construction, and representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Cambodia.
Speaking to the media, Chanthol said that the tour visit addressed the Japanese investor’s concern about facilitating the transportation of goods and products at the international border in Bavet and Poipet – a town of Banteay Meanchey province.
Underlining that Cambodia has finished constructing the gate on its side, Chanthol said we are “waiting for the Thailand side to complete theirs so we can fully access the border’s facilities while in Bavet province, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has injected $10 million to expand the road and facilities to solve the congestion of the container at the international gate to Vietnam”.
He recalled that during the Premier’s trip to Japan in December last, Prime Minister Hun Manet asked Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to establish the Cambodia-Japan SEZ aimed to attract Japanese investors to come and explore potential investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
After inspecting the international gate, Chanthol visited Sanko Poipet SEZ and Royal Group Poipet SEZ.
All four special economic zones (SEZs) in Banteay Meanchey province have 19 projects of which 13 companies worth $126 million are operating providing about 5,822 jobs for local citizens.
Inside the two SEZs, the Deputy Prime Minister inspected several factories such as Nidec Die-Casting (Cambodia) Co Ltd, a factory producing electronic equipment with an investment capital of $20.63 million, creating approximately 803 jobs for the locals.
He went on to check NHK Spring (Cambodia) Co Ltd, a car leather cover manufacturer with an investment of $8.15 million that also created 239 jobs. Finally, he went to HGB Motors Assembly Co Ltd, a factory for assembling cars that is available for sale in the local market with an investment budget of $7 million and recruited over 76 Cambodian employees.
According to CDC confirmation, 19 companies are registered across all four SEZs in Banteay Meanchey province and 13 companies are already running with a total investment of $126 million.
On the occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister revealed that the Premier initiative has made Minebea Cambodia decide to open their second factory on 50 hectares landscape in Pursat province with an investment budget of about $650 million from today to 2030, creating about 8,000 job opportunities. Khmertimeskh
