PHNOM PENH, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted a fixed-asset investment of some 1.2 billion U.S. dollars in August, the Council for the Development of Cambodia said in a news release on Monday.
The Southeast Asian country approved 53 investment projects last month, which could generate approximately 33,000 jobs, the council said.
The new projects included a special economic zone establishment, a five-star hotel, an animal feed mill, two car tire manufacturing plants, garment and footwear factories and a beverage factory, it added.
China remained the biggest investor in the kingdom last month.
"About 84.72 percent of the investment capital in August 2024 was from China, 9.12 percent was from domestic source, and the remaining was from Singapore, Samoa, the Netherlands, Malaysia and the United States," it said.
During the January-August period, the country approved 287 investment projects totally worth 4.84 billion dollars, creating roughly 226,570 jobs.
Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement, together with Cambodia's new law on investment, are major factors to attract foreign direct investment to the country.
Neak Chandarith, director of the Cambodia 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center, said Chinese-funded enterprises have played an important role in helping boost Cambodia's economy and improving local people's livelihoods.
"Chinese-invested mega-projects under the Belt and Road Initiative such as the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone, hydropower plants, Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, the Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, roads, and bridges, among others, have played and will continue to play a vital role in supporting the kingdom's economy," he told Xinhua. ■