Beyond Business

Beyond Business

作者：Zhou Mi Zhao Shanshan

来源：《中国东盟报道》2018年第07期

“My parents are both ordinary farmers，” revealed Makara， a Cambodian employee of Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone （SSEZ）. “Before I started working in the zone， I helped my parents sell their products for a humble income. In recent years， I was able to buy a car and a plot of land on which to build a new house.” The changes in living standards Makara has experienced since childhood are breathtaking.

Having forged ahead for a decade，the SSEZ has become a “golden rice bowl” for local people. Most of the 21，000 employees in the zone have benefited from development as much as Makara.

‘Golden Rice Bowl’

In April 2007， HOdo Group joined hands with other Chinese and Cambodian enterprises to build the SSEZ with a total planned area of 11.13 square kilometers. The purpose of the zone was to meet HOdo’s demand for factories in Cambodia. At the same time， the zone is evolving into a cluster investment and trade platform for Chinese and foreign enterprises investing and trading in Cambodia. The zone provides assistance in overcoming the difficulties arising from differences in language， culture， regulations and other matters.

State leaders of both China and Cambodia consider development of the zone tremendously important. In October 2016， before his state visit to Cambodia， Chinese President Xi Jinping published an open letter in a Cambodian newspaper declaring that “the booming Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone testifies to how fruitful China-Cambodia cooperation can be.” On January 9，2018，before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to Cambodia， he also published an article in a Cambodian newspaper praising SSEZ as “a symbol of renewed China-Cambodia friendship that is delivering real benefits to the people.” Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has made four official visits to the zone and referred it as “my son.”

The original plot of the zone was a barren strip without road， water or electricity. With a pioneering spirit， the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone Company has toiled away on its development， transforming the empty lot into a world-class industrial park with high-end supporting facilities for production and living. Access to water， electricity， roads， communication and gas，as well as land leveling， has been achieved in the initial phase of the project covering 5 square kilometers. More than 170 factory buildings have been built so far in addition to major supportive facilities such as a comprehensive services center， staff apartment building， community health services center and a sewage treatment plant.