Royal Embassy of Cambodia

Cambodia Highlights
No. 97 January 26, 2021
4530 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20011

PM: Boosting Economic Recovery and Supporting

Vulnerable Families Tops Government Agenda
Prime Minister Samdech “Cambodia’s economy million the vulnerable and
Techo Hun Sen has called expects to grow by almost the jobless,” the Premier
for joint efforts to boost 4% this year and we need said on Januar y 2 2 .
economic recovery, and joint efforts to stimulate
suppor t three million economic growth, and Cambodia economic
vulnerable citizens. suppor t nearly three growth rate was 13.3
p ercent in 2 00 5, 12
percent in 2006, and
11 percent in 2007, but
due to global financial
crisis, C a m b o d i a ’s
e conomy fell to 6.8
percent, and 0.5 percent
i n 2 0 0 9, u n d e r l i n e d
t h e Pr i m e M i n i s t e r.
(Continue to page 4)

500,000 Cambodians Expected to Cambodian Milled

Receive C-19 Vaccine in April Rice Expected to
Prime Minister Samdech are willing to take the Increase in
Techo Hun Sen announced vaccine. He reiterated U.S. Market
on January 22 that around that he will be the first President of Cambodian
500,000 Cambodians are person in Cambodia Rice Federation and CEO
expected to be inoculated to take the vaccine. of Amru Rice (Cambodia)
against COVID-19 before Co. Ltd. Song Saran
Khmer New Year that As his quest to obtain announced during a
will be held in April. COVID-19 vaccines for recent visit to the rice
Cambodians , Prime mill by U.S. Ambassador
The Premier said Minister Samdech Hun Patrick Murphy that
300,000 doses of China’s Sen has sent a letter to with the American-
Sinopharm vaccine will Indian Prime Minister standard silo installed at
arrive in Cambodia in Narendra Modi asking if Amru Rice’s rice mill in
February and has asked he will consider supplying Battambang province,
the Ministry of Health to the Indian-made Covaxin the quality of Cambodia’s
conduct a survey to find and Covashield vaccines rice will be fur ther
out how many people (Continue to page 2) (Continue to page 3)
to Cambodia. He is also
considering asking for
vaccines from South
Korea and purchasing
the Oxford-AstraZeneca
vaccine from the United
Kingdom with funds
provided by the Asian
Development Bank .
“We have many options,
and we will also receive
vaccines from Covax ,
which may arrive in
Cambodia by March,
which will allow us to
vaccinate 20 percent of
Human Trafficking Combat
Intensified in 2020
Despite the COVID-19
c ri s i s , t h e Nat i o n a l
Committee for Counter
Tr a f f i c k i n g ( N C C T )
worked hard to combat
human trafficking in
Cambodia, underlined
Ms Chou Bun Eng ,
Secretary of State of the
Ministry of Interior and
Vi c e - Cha i r wo ma n o f
NCCT, during a meeting
on January 22 with US
A m b a s s a d o r Pa tr i c k
the population. We will
buy another one million
doses through Covax ,
which could be a mixture
of vaccines from different
c o u ntri e s ,” h e s a i d.
Cambodia’s COVID-19
tally now stands at
456 confirmed cases,
consisting of 329
Cambodians, including
81 Cambodian migrant
workers who have
returned from Thailand
a n d 1 2 7 fo re i g n e r s .
Murphy to discussed
progress , challenges
and solutions in the fight
against human trafficking.
The inter-ministerial
working groups, both
at the national and sub-
national, have worked
together to respond to
human trafficking and
“the results we have
made have improved
year by year”, she said.
2
The working groups have
done a lot to fight against
human trafficking in 2020,
such as the Ministry of
Education developing a
textbook for primary and
secondary education
to train students about
the prevention of human
trafficking, the Ministry
of Health developing
policies related to the
health of migrant workers
and the Ministry of Labor
working to create more
than 20,000 jobs for
returning workers who
recently came back from
Thailand, she highlighted.
“ We also work with
the United Nations to
create jobs for returning
workers who can grow
crops to support their
livelihoods and the
committee has made
good progress in 2020
despite the COVID-19
pandemic,” she added.
Cambodia,
Hungary to Boost
Cooperation
Cambodia and Hungary
agreed to expand
cooperation in potential
areas including
trade and economy;
agriculture, food security
and forestr y ; water
resources management;
education, youth and
sports; culture; tourism;
(Continue to page 3)
 Cambodian Milled Rice Expected to... meeting to review the
implementation of the
enhanced and more rice Cambodia, especially in Tourism Infrastructure
exports are expected the rice sector, in order Development Project
for the U.S. market. to ensure the progress for Environmental
and sustainability Growth in the Greater
With the high technology o f t h e a g r i c u l t u r a l Me ko n g Su b -re g i o n
in the rice production sector in the Kingdom. i n th e fo u r c o ast a l
chain and government’s provinces of Cambodia.
efforts to promote milled C a m b o d i a ’ s m i l l e d
rice on the international rice was shipped to
m a r k e t s , A m e r i c a n 60 countrie s around
Cambodia,
people will know and the world, including Hungary to ...
acknowledge the quality of China, 24 countries in industr y, technology
Cambodia’s rice, he added. the European Union, and innovation; and
six countries in ASEAN, civil aviation. The
Ambas sador Murphy and 29 other countries, agreement was reached
lauded the good and 76 companies by both sides during
cooperation between engaged in the exports. the First Session of
Amru Rice and U.S. Last year, milled rice Cambodia-Hungar y
firm reflected by this expor t accounted for Joint Commission on
American-standard silo 6 9 0, 8 2 9 t o n s wo r t h Economic Cooperation
installation, underlining nearly US$539 million, on Januar y 20-21.
the U.S. is happy to support up 11 percent from 2019.
In term of trade and
economy, both sides
Kampot Tourism Seaport have shown a strong
Construction to Finish by Year End will to implement the
existing agreement
on the promotion and
protection of investment
between Cambodia and
Hungary, which entered
into force in August
2017, and welcomed the
participation of stimulus
agencies, including the
Hungarian Investment
Promotion Agency to
facilitate and attract
Hungarian investors
The c onstruc tion o f Thong Khon, Minister of to Cambodia, as well
i n t e rn a t i o n a l t o u r i s t Tourism and Chairman as to learn more about
port in Kampot province of the National Project Cambodia's potential
is about 50 percent Management Committee, products for export to
complete and is expected announced this progress the Hungarian market.
to finish by the end of 2021. o n Ja nu a r y 2 0 at a

3
Bridge Linking Kampong Cham-Tbong
Khmum Provinces Nears Completion
T h e S t e u n g Tra n g -
Krouch Chhmar Bridge
has reached 95 percent
c omple tion and will
be finished ahead of
schedule in March
2021. It was originally
due for completion
in May 2021, said the
Ministry of Public Works.
Cambodia to Have Trade,
Labor Courts by Year End
The Ministry of Justice
has formed on January
21 two committees to
begin the process of
establishing separate
courts for commercial and
labor disputes. These two
committee will prepare
documentation and legal
briefs to determine each
court’s relationship to
the lower courts and the
higher courts, including
the Appeal Court
and Supreme Cour t.
“ The bridge will make a
significant contribution
to transportation, travel
and cargo transport for
the people of Kampong
Cham and Tbong Khmum
provinces,” according to
the Ministry. Construction
star ted on Februar y
9, 2018 at a total cost
of nearly $57 million.
Th e c o m m i tte e s a re
comprised of 20
members from the
j usti c e m i n istr y, th e
Su p re m e C o u n c i l o f
Magistracy, government
delegates, the heads
o f th e Ph n o m Pe n h
Munic ipal Cour t and
Appeal Court, and some
other relevant officials.
The committees will
also examine any
necessary changes to
trade procedures and
regulations and determine
the appropriate scope of
each court’s jurisdiction
regarding commercial
o r la b o r c o n f l i c t s .
PM: Boosting
Economic
Recovery...
The economy is
projected to contract
by 2 percent in 2020,
b u t i s e x p e c te d to
bounce back and
grow by 4 percent in
2 0 2 1, a c c o r d i n g t o
Restrained Recover y,
the World Bank’s latest
economic update for
Cambodia, published
in mid-December 2020.
FDI inflows to projects in
non-garment industries
and agriculture have
been rising, likely
attracted by Free Trade
Agreements, according
to the report. It also
notes the opportunities
to facilitate an expansion
of domestic and foreign
investment arising
from recent bilateral
and regional free trade
agreements, including
the Cambodia-China
Free Trade Agreement
and Regional
Comprehensive
E c o n o m i c
Par tnership (RCEP).