PM marks 10th anniversary of BRI
AS CHINA’S Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 22, Prime Minister Hun Sen recalled that Cambodia – one of 150 countries and 32 international organisations to join the initiative – had only done so because it met three conditions.
Speaking at an event marking the occasion and the inauguration of a
Chinese-owned tyre production facility in Preah Sihanouk province, he said each of these conditions must support national interests and align with the major aspects of Cambodian’s foreign policy.
“Any agreement we are party to must serve the interests of peace and development. It must not confront or threaten any other nation, as our neutrality is implicitly stated in the Constitution. Thirdly, it must respect
ASEAN centrality,” he explained.
“Let me make it clear: The successful 32nd SEA Games which just ended would not have been possible without the BRI. We would not have had the foundational infrastructure we needed to host the games,” he said, citing the Morodok Techo National Stadium built with a grant from China as an example.
Hun Sen offered several other examples of the achievements made possible by the BRI, such as the new international airport in Siem Reap – which will be inaugurated in October – and the forthcoming fibre optic internet cable from Hong Kong to Preah Sihanouk.
“There are many ways in which Cambodia has benefited from the agreement, including through grants and loans for many development projects. Thousands of kilometres of roads have been built, or are under construction, along with bridges across the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Basaac rivers,” he added.
He noted that many other ASEAN members have also benefitted since the BRI was launched in 2013, with $30 billion injected into the initiative.
He said it is clear that the goal of the BRI is merely development, not as a means to block the national
security policies have improved.
He urged the government to pay attention to other areas of concern, such as labour rights and wage increases, adding that he would like to see social protection schemes applied across all sectors of the economy.
Chhour Sopanha, director of the Department of Social Welfare, said on May 22 that working groups from the ministries of finance and labour, along with the General Secretariat of the National Social Protection Council (NSPC), are planning to meet and examine the most efficient way of putting the new policy in place.
“He recommended four cash payments before birth and 10 thereafter. We have old sub-decrees and mechanisms that we can use to do so,” he said.
Hun Sen explained that the payments would not harm the economy but would improve the health and development of the Kingdom’s workforce.