Aerial view of Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone. The overall planned area of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone is 11.13 square kilometres, with 6 square kilometres already developed.

The General Tire Factory is the largest investment project in the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone. The image shows a quality inspector at work in one of the workshops of the General Tire Factory.

The above images are all taken by Anu from the Asia-Pacific Center Branch.

Before 7 a.m., the city of Sihanoukville in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, was covered in a light rain. The city center was still sparsely populated, but outside the gate of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, there was already a bustling scene of vehicles. During the early morning rush hour, motorcycles and cars were constantly streaming towards the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, forming a dynamic scene with various raincoats.

The Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone is one of the first overseas economic and trade cooperation zones approved by China and is a national-level economic cooperation zone between the governments of China and Cambodia. In the ten years since the proposal of the "Belt and Road" initiative, the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone has developed rapidly. Currently, 175 enterprises have settled in, providing nearly 30,000 job positions. The thriving Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone serves as a model for pragmatic cooperation between China and Cambodia, reflecting the vitality of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

"After the proposal of the 'Belt and Road' initiative, the development of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone has accelerated."

The Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone boasts wide and tidy roads, with factories, office buildings, and staff dormitories neatly arranged. Supporting facilities such as the neighbourhood center, one-stop service center, legal service center, and health service center are all readily available. It's hard to imagine that before the groundbreaking ceremony in February 2008, this place was once barren. The first factory building was completed in October 2008.

"After the proposal of the 'Belt and Road' initiative, the development of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone has accelerated. The number of enterprises that have settled here has more than doubled since 2013," said Chen Jian, Chairman of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone Company. "Previously, the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone was mainly focused on light industry with low power consumption. Now, with the increase of heavy industry enterprises, we have specially built our own thermal power plant to ensure power supply."

Adjacent to the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone thermal power plant is the modern production workshop of General Tire Technology (Cambodia) Co., Ltd. The workshop is filled with the roar of vulcanizing machines and moulding machines. Workers place raw materials into the moulding machine, and in less than 40 seconds, a 20-inch tire is moulded.

General Tire entered the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in 2022 with a planned total land area of nearly 180,000 square meters. Tao Guozhong, the general manager of the company, said that after the factory is completed and put into operation, it can produce 5 million semi-steel tires and 900,000 all-steel tires annually, creating an estimated 1,600 jobs locally. Yim Somsen, former Minister of Labor and Vocational Training of Cambodia, stated that after the General Tire project is put into operation, it will drive the development of local rubber planting, promote the formation of industrial clusters, and further boost local employment and economic development.

The Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone is located near the Gulf of Thailand, with Cambodia's largest deep-water seaport. Jafu High (Cambodia) Co., Ltd., a U.S. company that mainly produces holiday decorations and gifts, entered the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone in 2013. Ramal, the CEO of the company, told reporters that the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, close to the port, has very convenient logistics and constantly improving facilities, providing a favourable environment for the company's development. Thanks to the platform advantages of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, the company's production has grown at an annual rate of 10%.

In 2022, the total import and export volume of Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone enterprises reached $2.493 billion, accounting for about 4.8% of Cambodia's total trade volume. The contribution rate of Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone to the economy of Sihanoukville province exceeds 50%. "The development of Sihanoukville province cannot be separated from the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone," said Guo Zongren, the governor of Sihanoukville province. The thriving Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone has become the pillar of the local economy.

In a building near the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone Comprehensive Service Center, the exhibition of the achievements of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone on the tenth anniversary of the proposal of the 'Belt and Road' initiative is open to the public. Using a combination of pictures, videos, and physical exhibits, the exhibition comprehensively presents the fruitful results achieved by the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone with the joint support of leaders from China and Cambodia at all levels of government. In May of this year, then-Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, attending the opening ceremony of the exhibition, stated, "The development achievements of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone are an important part of the cooperative results of the 'Belt and Road' initiative between Cambodia and China."

“The model that combines talent support with the development of special economic zones is worth studying.”

In a corner of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone (Sihanouk SEZ), the Sihanoukville Port Institute of Commerce and Technology is situated. This institute was jointly applied for by Wuxi Business Vocational and Technical College and Sihanouk SEZ Company, and it started admitting students in November 2019.

Anna, a second-year student from a rural area in Koh Kong Province, Cambodia, chose to pursue further studies at the Sihanoukville Port Institute of Commerce and Technology after graduating from high school. While majoring in Business Management, she also took courses in Chinese, English, and computer science. Due to her rapid improvement in Chinese proficiency, she has already found a job as a Chinese translator in Sihanouk SEZ, earning a monthly salary of over $600.

"School tuition is completely waived, providing excellent learning and job opportunities for students like me from impoverished backgrounds," says Anna. "I hope to find a better job after graduation through hard work, helping improve my family's living conditions."

"Our students, after mastering certain levels of Chinese language and technical skills, can earn a monthly salary of nearly $400. After graduation, their monthly salaries can reach $600 to $800," says Li Chuanbin, the Executive Principal of the Sihanoukville Port Institute of Commerce and Technology. "The development of Sihanouk SEZ requires high-quality talents, and many of our graduates have become the backbone of enterprise management."

Sihanouk SEZ Company also collaborates with Wuxi Business Vocational and Technical College to jointly support the education of Cambodian students. Sunshine, a native of Sihanoukville Province, returned to Cambodia to work on the Golden Port Highway project after studying at Wuxi Business Vocational and Technical College. Currently, he manages two service areas. "In the past, we didn't even have a motorcycle at home, and I had to travel half an hour to get to school. Now, with a higher salary, I bought a car," says Sunshine, who is optimistic about the future. "In another year or two, I'll be able to build a new house!"

The Sihanoukville Sino-Cambodian Friendship Polytechnic Institute, also located in Sihanouk SEZ, was built with the assistance of the Chinese government. The curriculum focuses on skills training, offering various majors such as accounting and finance, information technology, and electrical engineering, with 1,125 current students. Lao Heng, the Director of the Technical Training Office at the institute, mentioned that the decision to establish the school in Sihanouk SEZ was primarily to provide talent for local businesses. The school provides short-term or long-term training based on the demands of the enterprises. "Currently, 80% to 90% of students work in special zone enterprises. Some students choose to come to the institute for education in order to work in Sihanouk SEZ," adds Lao Heng.

Cambodian Minister of State Bos Povsophea mentioned that among many industrial zones in Cambodia, only Sihanouk SEZ has a training center. "The model that combines talent support with the development of special economic zones is worth learning."

"Now, the village is becoming more vibrant, and everyone's income is increasing."

"Preah Sihanouk Province, Mondul Ran commune, Botum village, adjacent to the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. As soon as you enter the village, the reporter sees Nia's small shop, spacious storefront, neatly arranged with drinks, snacks, seasonings, and more on the shelves. Nia's hometown is in Kampong Cham Province, and she and her husband have been in Sihanoukville Province for more than 10 years. 'Before, everything was lacking here, especially water and electricity,' she said. 'After the construction of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, everyone's living conditions have improved.'

When Nia first came to Botum Village, she worked in a shoe and hat factory, and her husband sold coffee. With the development of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, the population in the surrounding areas has increased, and the couple has seen more business opportunities. Nia's store has gradually expanded, and her husband has also started construction contracting work in the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. 'Now, the village is becoming more vibrant, and everyone's income is increasing,' Nia said.

Walking along the flat cement road, newly built buildings can be seen everywhere. Pang Shaliang, over 70 years old, is sitting in the yard chatting with neighbors. Behind him, a two-story building is particularly eye-catching. Pang Shaliang told the reporter that this building was completed in 2022, with more than 10 rooms on each floor. Because he saw the advantages of Botum Village near the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, he specifically built this building to rent to Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone workers, and the vacant land in the yard was rented to transport drivers for parking.

According to Mijan, the head of Mondul Ran commune, the population of the commune has increased significantly in recent years, with more than 2,000 households and a population of more than 7,000. 'The Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone has attracted a large number of migrant workers. Many of the small shops, clothing stores, pharmacies, and rental houses in the village were built in recent years,' he sighed. 'Who would have thought that more than ten years ago, Botum Village was still full of thatched huts, and few outsiders came in.'

Local villagers used to rely on farming and fishing for a living. Now, more and more villagers work in the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone and have stable incomes. Pei Jin is responsible for power maintenance in a company in the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone. In seven years, he has grown from an ordinary employee to a mature technician. Now, he has changed his motorcycle to a small car, and a new house has been built at home. He said, 'Before, the roads in the village were very narrow and dirt roads. Now, everyone's life is getting better, and everything is different.'

'Seventy percent of families in Preah Sihanouk Province have members working in the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone,' Mijan said. Driven by the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, Mondul Ran commune has changed from a poor commune to the most affluent town in Preah Sihanouk Province, with almost every household having two or three motorcycles.

The construction of the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone is deeply integrated into the economic and social development of Sihanoukville Province and even Cambodia, becoming a vivid practice of the joint construction of the 'Belt and Road' by China and Cambodia. Chen Jianguang said that in the future, the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone will continue to promote high-quality development and make greater contributions to building a community of shared destiny between China and Cambodia.

(Source: People's Daily)"