Phnom Penh, January 15, 2023(AseanAll)-Cambodia, a Southeast Asian country, seeks China's help in building high-speed railway.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on January 14 that he would pay an official visit to China again in February 2023.
The above information was shard by the Premier at the 5th get-together with more than 4,000 journalists held at Koh Pich Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh on January 14.
Hun Sen said, "I will leave for China on February 9 this year. I will pay an official visit to China on February 10 and return to Cambodia on February 11."
The Prime Minister said that this visit to China is also to commemorate the third anniversary of his "retrograde visit to China".
In February 2020, when the COVID-19 broke out in China, many countries immediately evacuated overseas Chinese and grounded international flights to China, but Hun Sen's retrograde visit to China was aimed at demonstrating the solidarity and special friendship between Cambodia and China.
The Cambodian Prime Minister’s forthcoming visit to China is also part of the top-level visit exchange on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the establishment of Cambodia-China diplomatic ties.
Hun Sen also said that the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China is an important historical event.
At the same time, Hun Sen expressed the hope that this visit to China would lead to more cooperation projects, including China's help to build high-speed railway in Cambodia.
“We may seek support from China to build a high-speed rail in Cambodia,” he said.
Hun Sen said that on the basis of Cambodia-China friendship, the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement has entered into force and is promoting trade exchanges between the two countries and strengthening cooperation in more fields between the two countries.
It is understood that Cambodia's current railway system is relatively old and cannot adapt to economic and social development.
Construction of the Cambodian railway system began in the late 1920s, with the northern and southern line, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport of Cambodia.
The Northern Railway has a length of 386 km from Phnom Penh to Poi Pet (Cambodia-Thailand border) and was constructed and functional between 1929 to 1942 during the French colonial period.
The Southern Railroad was built between 1960 and 1969 and is a total length of 264 kilometers.
Both lines were severely damaged and partially destroyed during the war.
Currently, both lines are functional
