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A new Chinese funded bridge is set to be inaugurated this month and Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol called on US companies to invest, despite US government’s recent business advisory
PHNOM PENH--Cambodia will officially inaugurate the Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge on Nov. 23—the new bridge is reportedly worth $56 million and will connect Kampong Cham and Tbong Khmum provinces.
According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Prime Minister Hun Sen will preside over the inauguration of the bridge which was built using Chinese money and is 1.13 kilometers long. It took 42 months and $56 million to build, with construction starting late in 2017—it is the eighth bridge built in Cambodia with funding from China.
Minister of Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol said that since 1998, the country has constructed 15,000 kilometers of paved, national, provincial and rural roads, along with having built 20 bridges across the Mekong River, Bassack River and the Tole Sap River.
Chanthol added that Cambodia’s infrastructure funding comes from many development partners, including China, Japan, Korea, World bank, ADB, Thailand, Vietnam as well as the country’s own budget.
“So, when people said that Cambodia relies on China for 100 percent funding for infrastructure development, that's absolutely inaccurate,” he said.
Cambodia has never rejected any funding from any organizations however the US has not put any investment in infrastructure in Cambodia, Chanthol went on to claim.
He urged companies in the US to consider participating in the bidding process to build Cambodia’s infrastructure as the bidding processes are up to international standards.
“The United States is a strong and consistent development partner for Cambodia, providing more than $3 billion in assistance to support the Cambodian people over the last 30 years,” said Chad Roedemeier, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Phnom Penh. “Our foreign assistance reflects the US commitment to the Cambodian people and supports transparent, inclusive, and sustainable models of development.”
Furthermore, it is unclear whether Chanthol was aware of a Nov. 10 joint statement from the US State Department, US Treasury Department and US Commerce Department which warned American companies of engaging in large-scale infrastructure contracting in Cambodia.
“Today, the US Department of State, the US Department of the Treasury, and the US Department of Commerce have jointly issued a business advisory to caution US businesses currently operating in, or considering operating in, Cambodia to be mindful of interactions with entities involved in corrupt business practices, criminal activities, and human rights abuses.”
The business advisory warned specifically against US involvement in “Illicit financial activities and related risks in the financial, real estate, casino, and infrastructure sectors; and entanglements with Cambodian entities involved in trafficking in persons, wildlife and narcotics trafficking, and related risks in some areas of the manufacturing and timber sectors.”
However, the US government has placed intensifying scrutiny on Ream Naval Base, where buildings it paid for have been knocked down to be replaced by new navy facilities that the Chinese government is believed to be involved in constructing on Cambodia’s coast.