On July 23, 2024, Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economics of Cambodia and Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee of the Economic Corridor Master Plan, led the first working meeting of all staff. The meeting mainly reviewed, made recommendations and reached consensus on the draft report "Master Plan for Integrated Economic Corridors in Cambodia's Coastal Provinces".
The meeting was attended by the Vice Premier, a number of ministers, the Governor of Sihanoukville Province, the Vice Governor of Kampot Province, the Governor of Koh Kong Province, the Vice Governor of Kep Province, as well as the Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Shenzhen Urban Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd., and 12 other technical teams led by Sima Xiao.
It is reported that the draft of the "Cambodian Coastal Provinces Comprehensive Economic Corridor Master Plan" was drafted by the China Shenzhen Planning Institute entrusted by Cambodia, and is planned in accordance with the direct instructions of Prime Minister Hun Manet, and the "Master Plan for the Multi-functional Economic Demonstration Zone of Sihanoukville Province" will be expanded to integrate the resources and potential of the other three coastal provinces to form a comprehensive plan with intertwined scales, aiming to improve the strong performance of the competitiveness of the four coastal provinces and Cambodia as a country.
The draft Master Plan for the Integrated Economic Corridor of Cambodia's Coastal Provinces sets out a long-term vision for Cambodia's coastal provinces to develop into world-class beach tourism destinations, regional logistics and industrial hubs, smart and livable green cities, agricultural and agro-industrial hubs, and fisheries and aquaculture hubs by 2038.
The draft report of the Master Plan for the Integrated Economic Corridors in Cambodia's Coastal Provinces assesses the administrative influence, transportation, land development, population, resources, etc., and analyzes the objectives, conditions and development potential of each province on this basis.
In order to achieve the above vision, the four coastal provinces will strive to improve logistics systems, infrastructure, services and human resource development, and promote trade and industrial development in the future. At the same time, the use of modern technologies, innovation and value chain development to modernize the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
In addition, the master plan provides an analysis of the development and industrial potential of the provinces. It also recommended that complementarity and community connectivity be strengthened among the four provinces, as well as that the strategic planning of Cambodia's coastal provinces be strengthened.
The Conference expressed its appreciation for the ongoing efforts to organize the content of the English draft of the Master Plan for the Integrated Economic Corridors in the Coastal Provinces of Cambodia. At the same time, a number of important points were discussed, and the Working Group was requested to further examine the accuracy of the wording of the document. Portions of the report are edited to ensure comprehensiveness and can be translated into Khmer for approval by the Royal Government in the near future.
It should be mentioned that the draft of the Cambodian version of the Master Plan for the Sihanoukville Multi-functional Economic Demonstration Zone was also held in early July for deliberation. The draft will be developed in two phases:
The first phase (2024-2028) focuses on the integration of Sihanoukville into the regional trading system, the expansion of logistics and tourism, as well as the development of new areas and the attraction of high value-added investments;
In the second phase (2029-2038), Sihanoukville will strengthen its role as a gateway to the country and a region for finance, trade, industrial development, transport and science and technology, and develop into a multi-functional, green, smart and high-income thriving city suitable for entrepreneurship.