China’s CEXIM Bank Pledges to Boost Investment in Cambodia

BEIJING (Sept. 9, 2025) — The Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM) pledged Tuesday to further promote and encourage Chinese investors to explore potential investment opportunities in Cambodia.

The commitment aligns with the shared vision of Cambodian and Chinese leadership and supports outcomes from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Plus (SCO Plus 2025) meetings.

The pledge was made during a meeting between Sun Chanthol, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and first vice chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, and Chen Huaiyu, chairman of CEXIM.

Chen expressed appreciation for Chanthol’s keynote speech at the Belt and Road Forum, which focused on transforming international investment cooperation. He said Cambodia exemplifies development under the initiative and noted that the speech helped boost investor confidence, particularly among Chinese enterprises and CEXIM.

Chen also highlighted several investment and cooperation initiatives supported by CEXIM, including the Techo Funan Canal project. He reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to encouraging Chinese investors to assess opportunities in Cambodia and pledged to support the effective implementation of approved investment projects.

Sun thanked China’s Ministry of Commerce, CEXIM, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the China International Development Cooperation Agency for their continued support of Cambodia’s development, especially in infrastructure.

He noted that more than 3,000 kilometers of national roads and 16 major bridges mentioned in his speech were backed by CEXIM. He also briefed Chen on progress and next steps for the Techo Funan Canal and the ongoing development of the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone.

Chanthol reiterated his call for Chinese investment in the region. In November 2024, he encouraged BYD to establish a vehicle assembly plant in the special economic zone.

He also outlined several initiatives under the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement and the Cambodia-China Intergovernmental Coordination Committee framework, which are expected to be discussed in upcoming meetings in China.