Cambodian PM to join ASEAN-China Expo in Nanning

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, accompanied by a large group of business people, left here Monday for Nanning of southwest China's Guangxi Province to attend the 10th ASEAN-China Expo, which is set to be held from September 3 to 6.

The premier was accompanied by Cham Prasidh, Minister of Commerce, Sok Chenda, President of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, and other senior officials as well as business executives from 167 companies, Sry Thamarong, minister attached to Prime Minister Hun Sen, told reporters at Phnom Penh International Airport before departure.

During the expo in Nanning, Hun Sen will hold a bilateral talk with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and meet separately with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Governor of China's Guangxi Chen Wu, and Governor of China's Yunnan Province Li Jiheng, he said.

The expo was initiated by former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the 7th ASEAN-China Summit and was firstly held in 2004. It is usually held in Nanning City.

"Since its inception in 2004, the relations and cooperation in economics and trade between Cambodia and China have rapidly developed," said Sry Thamarong.

"We have attracted a lot of investments from Chinese private sector in infrastructure, energy, information technologies and telecommunication, banking and finance, agriculture and tourism."

China is the top investor in Cambodia. According to figures from the Council for Development of Cambodia, from 1994 to 2012, total Chinese investment in Cambodia has reached 9.17 billion US dollars.

On bilateral trade, China is also one of the leading trading partners of Cambodia. Last year, the bilateral trade volume accounted for 2.9 billion US dollars and it was expected to reach 5 billion US dollars by 2017, he said.

Hun Sen will return to Cambodia on Tuesday afternoon.

The annual event of the ASEAN-China Expo is a very important platform to further promote trading in goods and services, investment cooperation, culture and tourism, particularly contributing to strengthening and developing the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership.

During the expo, there will be an ASEAN-China Business and Investment Summit, which is a key platform for leaders of China and ASEAN to exchange opinions and enhance cooperation.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.