Chinese built national road inaugurated in SW Cambodia

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia inaugurated on Friday the Chinese-built National Road No. 51 linking Kampong Speu and Kandal provinces in the kingdom's southwestern region.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Wu Guoquan, economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, presided over the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by some 700 people.

The 37.9-km asphalt road was constructed by the China Road and Bridge Corporation under a concessional loan from the Chinese government.

Hun Sen said National Road No. 51 is a strategic road connecting National Road No. 5 in Kampong Speu province and National Road No. 4 in Kandal province.

"This road will play an important role in facilitating travel and transport of goods because it hosts many factories and large-scale enterprises as well as residential projects," he said.

The prime minister expressed his profound gratitude to China for financing the project, saying that transport infrastructure was the key element to boost economic growth and reduce poverty.

Speaking at the event, Wu said pragmatic cooperation between China and Cambodia has continuously borne new fruits, highlighting that in recent months, some China-aided projects such as roads, bridges, stadiums and hospitals have been put into use.

"Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our pragmatic cooperation has produced more fruitful results which truly reflect the ironclad friendship between China and Cambodia," he said.