Cambodia needs more Chinese investments, trade cooperation: PM

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday that the Southeast Asian country wanted to see more Chinese investments and bigger trade volume between the two countries, according to a spokesman.

The prime minister made the remarks during a meeting with visiting Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Yan at the Peace Palace in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, Eang Sophalleth, a spokesman for Hun Sen, told reporters after the meeting.

"In the meeting, the prime minister said the two countries still have room for greater cooperation in trade and investment," he said, adding that Hun Sen also expressed his hope to see bigger bilateral trade volume.

The two countries set a target in 2012 to boost the bilateral trade volume to 5 billion U.S. dollars in 2017.

According to the spokesman, Hun Sen also suggested Gao to help encourage more Chinese entrepreneurs to invest in Cambodia, particularly in the Chinese-backed Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ).

For her part, Gao said her visit to Cambodia was to work with the Ministry of Commerce in order to further broaden trade cooperation between China and Cambodia.

Gao arrived here on Sunday for a three-day visit.