PM begins Japan visit, set to ‘ink aid agreements’ with Abe
PRIME Minister Hun Sen departed Cambodia for Tokyo, Japan, on Tuesday to attend the 25th International Conference on The Future of Asia. Follow ing t he conference, he is set to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss various bilatera l, regiona l and internationa l issues of common interest. Hun Sen is due to return from Japan on May 31.
The prime minister took to his officia l Facebook page, posting on Tuesday: “During my stay in Japan, I plan to meet His Excellency Abe … Both of us prime ministers will witness t he signing of agreements to extend Japanese grant aid for t wo development projects in Cambodia. I will a lso meet with representatives of many other Japanese firms.”
The prime minister will deliver a keynote address under the conference’s theme In Search of the New Global Order – Overcoming the Chaos, and share his perspective on the current global context, future prospects, the way forward, and Cambodia’s commitment and contribution to promoting harmony, peace and shared prosperity in Asia, the Pacific region and the world.
The Facebook post said the first of the t wo funding extensions that Hun Sen and Abe will witness being signed is a 200 million yen ($1.83 million) grant to implement a socio-economic development programme involv ing t he construction of a container freight stat ion.
The second project, with a grant of 339 million yen, is for t he implementation of the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship.
Government spokesman Phay Siphan told The Post : “One can see potentia l investments wit h t he belief t hat peace and stabilit y reigns in Cambodian territor y.
“It is time for Japan to turn [to t he Kingdom] and invest in its industries, logistics, human resources and more.”
Affiliated Network for Social Accountability executive director San Chey said the terms and conditions of Japanese grants are not a cause for concern as Japan’s political system is different from Cambodia.
Japan is considered a developed nation which has helped other countries and served the needs of their peoples, Chey said.