In the conference room by the banks of the Phnom Penh River, a conversation about the road filled both parties with anticipation. Recently, Cambodian Minister of Public Works and Transport Binboni sat around a long table with delegations from CRDC and the China International Development Cooperation Agency, discussing topics ranging from railways to bridges, highways to sewage treatment, and planning routes to strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

China talks about cooperation at the Binboni Conference

The delegation was led by Xue Dong, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, and attended by relevant officials from the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport. The talks focused on the feasibility assessment of multiple priority infrastructure projects, including railway, bridge construction, highway development, and sewage treatment. The related project aims to improve Cambodia's domestic transportation network, enhance regional connectivity, and improve logistics and transportation services. Both sides also discussed cooperation in human resources training, which can be conducted through professional institutions or arranged to go to China to enhance Cambodia's professional capabilities in infrastructure planning, construction, operation, and maintenance. The Cambodian side expresses gratitude for China's long-term support in infrastructure development and recognizes China's contribution to Cambodia's economic and social progress.

The old railway is expected to be renovated and speeded up

At present, Cambodia's railway network mainly consists of two lines, the South Line and the North Line, with a total length of about 646 kilometers, both of which are single track meter gauge railways. Due to factors such as aging infrastructure, the operating speed of existing railways is relatively low, and transportation capacity is limited. In recent years, Cambodia has continued to promote railway modernization and plans to prioritize the renovation and upgrading of the 382 kilometer Phnom Penh to Pobe North railway line. China has previously expressed its willingness to support Cambodia in carrying out preliminary work such as railway planning, design, and feasibility studies, promoting the construction of related projects, and supporting the construction of people's livelihoods along the Cambodian railway. Keywords: China Cambodia cooperation, railway infrastructure, interconnectivity

The blueprint points towards the dream of high income

This cooperation is in line with Cambodia's overall plan for multimodal transport and logistics system from 2023 to 2033, which aims to build an integrated transportation and logistics network, improve transportation efficiency, reduce logistics costs, and enhance national competitiveness. The plan includes 174 infrastructure development projects with a budget of 36.68 billion US dollars, of which the total investment for railway projects is 10.01 billion US dollars. With Cambodia's goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050, improving railway, highway, and logistics infrastructure is seen as an important support for attracting investment, promoting industrial development, and expanding trade. This meeting indicates that China and Cambodia are continuing to explore practical cooperation in the field of transportation infrastructure, but the information released so far has not yet clarified the specific investment amount, construction scale, and implementation schedule of the projects.Editor/Min Jing