Japanese minister Nobuo Kishi (L) meets his Cambodian counterpart Prak Sokhonn (Photo: Khmer Times) Phnom Penh (VNA) – The Japanese Government has agreed to provide a 200 million USD loan to Cambodia to build a new seaport in an effort to reduce traffic load on the Preah Sihanouk port, the southwestern coastal city of Sihanouk, said a senior Cambodian official.
Cambodian Minister for Public Works and Transport Sun Chanthol made the statement after his meeting with Keiichi Ishii, Japanese Infrastructure and Transport Minister, in Phnom Penh on May 5.
The new port will be 350 metres long and 14.5 metres deep, and equipped with modern facilities allowing large vessels to dock. The project is expected to start in 2018 and be completed by 2023.
In another development, Japan will open a general consulate in Siem Reap province in January 2018 in response to the increasing number of Japanese tourists visiting Cambodia and trade between the two countries, said Chum Sontry, Spokesperson of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn met Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nobuo Kishi on May 6, said the spokesperson.
Japan ranked seventh in terms of total tourists arrivals to Cambodia last year, with 190,000. A number of direct flights between the two countries have been operated.-VNA
VNA
