China’s General Intelligence (Cambodia) Co Ltd is investing $297 million to set up a tyre factory in Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) of the southwestern coastal province of Preah Sihanouk.

The Cambodian Special Economic Zone Board (CSEZB), under the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), on January 25 said it had approved a final registration certificate for the project.

SSEZ lies on a whopping 11.13sq km in Bit Traing commune’s Pou Thoeung village in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nop district.

The venture has been hailed by senior Ministry of Commerce officials and Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities for its potential to boost economic growth in the province and nationwide in the post-Covid era.

Ministry spokesman Pen Sovicheat told The Post that his ministry “always encourages” local and foreign investors to invest more in the production of goods for export “to meet the market demand that we get through free trade agreements, and to transfer and share knowledge related to new technologies”.

Preah Sihanouk provincial deputy governor Long Dimanche told The Post on January 26 that the new tyre factory was “good news” for the province, and an indication of the private sector’s confidence in the state of the Cambodian economy.

He added that this would be an opportunity for Preah Sihanouk to build investor confidence as a “qualified province” that can facilitate investment, as it transforms into a “Model Multi-Purpose Special Economic Zone”, a regional innovative logistic centre and resort.

“In the future, Preah Sihanouk will no longer depend on only the service or tourism sectors. On the contrary, the province will more and more rely on the development of technology, production of goods and equipment for export as well,” Dimanche said.

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Author: Hom Phanet

Source: The Phnom Penh Post

Publication date: 26 January 2022