(Tokyo): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet granted an audience to Takahashi Fumiaki, President of the Japan-Cambodia Association (JCA), during his official visit to Japan.

During the meeting, Takahashi respectfully expressed his profound gratitude to the prime minister for taking the time to receive him and his delegation.

The JCA president reported on the association’s ongoing activities and developments, noting a steady increase in membership. He highlighted this as a promising opportunity to strengthen ties with Japanese companies and expand investment in Cambodia.

Takahashi announced that the association plans to organize a visit to Cambodia later in 2025 to promote further investment. He also thanked the Royal Government of Cambodia for its support and collaboration with the association, especially in enhancing connections with partners and stakeholders in Cambodia.

He also presented three key areas of the JCA’s action plan:
1. Promoting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and vocational training in Cambodia,
2. Encouraging investment in agro-processing industries, and
3. Driving investment in Cambodia’s digital industrial parks.

Prime Minister Hun Manet, for his part, expressed his pleasure in meeting Takahashi again and highly appreciated the association’s progress and efforts.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet reaffirmed the Cambodian government’s policy of establishing special economic zones (SEZs) categorized by industry and by partner country, particularly tailored for Japan.

Regarding the promotion of SMEs, Samdech Thipadei encouraged the association to explore the possibility of creating an Exclusive Special Economic Zone (ESEZ) in Cambodia specifically for Japanese SMEs. He expressed his strong support for the ESEZ initiative.

Samdech Thipadei also urged the association to continue discussions with relevant Cambodian ministries and institutions to push forward the development of the ESEZ.
=FRESH NEWS