Cambodia launched an economic cooperation forum here on Thursday, aimed to further promote bilateral trade, investment and tourism relations with China, officials said.
The half-day forum, co-organized by northwestern China's Shaanxi province held under the theme One Belt, One Road, took part by some 50 Chinese and Cambodian business executives.
Cheng Yunfu, a Shaanxi trade official, said the two-way trade volume between the province and Cambodia was valued at 42.1 million U.S. dollars in 2015, up 41 percent from 30 million U.S. dollars in the year before.
"I'm confident that the forum will further enhance ties and cooperation between China's Shaanxi province and Cambodia in economics, trade, investment, tourism and culture," he said.
Sat Samy, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft, said under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the relations and cooperation between China and Cambodia will be broader, particularly in trade and investment.
"I believe that through the forum, more Chinese businesspeople will consider expanding their businesses to Cambodia," he said.
Wang Lifeng, representative of the trade office at the Chinese embassy to Cambodia, said Chinese investors had invested some 865 million U.S. dollars in Cambodia in 2015. The bilateral trade volume was valued at 4.3 billion U.S. dollars last year.
At the end of the forum, Cambodian and Chinese company representatives have signed business cooperation agreements.
