Thailand
Cambodia: Gov’t signs contract to plan development of P Sihanouk SEZ
The government has signed a planning consultancy contract with a Chinese company to turn Preah Sihanouk province into a model, multi-purpose special economic zone (SEZ). The agreement was inked by Phan Phalla, secretary of state and representative of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and Sima Xiao, president and representative of the Urban Planning Design Institute of Shenzhen (UPDIS)
“The preparation of the masterplan has been thoroughly configured with almost all aspects: economic, social, environmental and political, especially to seek the optimal level between the output report and access to relevant data and information,” Phalla said.
He said preparation of the masterplan would take about 18 months and look at the following12 areas.
Goals, strategies and special frameworks and implementation guidelines; economic and industrial development and industrial land management; labour markets and vocational training; public facilities such as water, energy, gas and solid waste; infrastructure and means of transportation; tourism and ecological biodiversity; liveability and city wellbeing; design and urbanisation; land use management; green belt management; institutional frameworks and a five-year action plan.
“We strongly believe that with the support of the Royal Government of Cambodia and partners involved in the project we will be able to complete the masterplan with high quality and lead to the development of Preah Sihanouk into a gateway, national economic centre and a sustainable and liveable smart city,” said UPDIS President Sima Xiao.
UPDIS was established in 1990 and has completed more than 5,800 projects in Shenzhen and in excess of 200 cities in China and around the world. Its work includes large-scale regional research, planning and urban design, transportation and municipal infrastructure, low-carbon and ecological technology research and application and local policy development.
Economy and Finance Minister Aun Pornmoniroth told attendees of the signing ceremony that Cambodia was in a strong position to recover from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic after new laws on investment and the digital economy were passed, with a public private partnership law likely to be passed in the near future. He said the new SEZ would help further economic growth, especially after a new free trade agreement (FTA) with China, a soon-to-be-ratified FTA with South Korea and the creation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“The preparation of a masterplan to develop Preah Sihanouk province into a model, multi-purpose SEZ is a part of the medium-term and long-term strategic thinking of the Royal Government of Cambodia to promote sustainable and inclusive development,” said Pornmoniroth, who is also deputy prime minister,
“Among key economic polls of Cambodia, Preah Sihanouk province is a region with great advantages for development because this province is geographically located along the coastal line, with a deep seaport, airport and several tourism beaches. In recent years Preah Sihanouk province has transformed rapidly from a quiet province to be a province with busy economic activities, a vibrant tourism sector and industrial sector, especially becoming a region to link local production and trade to many countries in the region,” Pornmoniroth said.
Sihanoukville Autonomous Port recently upgraded its facilities with a 350-metre container port and dredging work to allow bigger vessels to enter what is already the country’s only deep seaport.
Source: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50954183/govt-signs-contract-to-plan-development-of-p-sihanouk-sez/