truffledog wrote:Even if a LOT of the business will be chinese run or chinese owned there will be enough space for others in many business sectors. Hopefully some of the chinese money will drain down to the poor and get them out of poverty. The government surely wont do that.

Once the 100+ million Chinese from the PRC settle into the Kingdom of Wonder, there will be lots of business space for the 15-20 million Khmer.

Chinese preferentially want Chinese. Chinese want to eat Chinese food, live in Chinese hotels, take tours in Chinese buses, etc. Even the People’s Republic of China sends Chinese workers to the strip mine Africa instead of hiring locals on the Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese don’t even bother to take care of other Chinese in their own country. The Khmer poor will get more booze, cigarettes, etc., to lift them out of poverty (or at least feel warm inside). The government will continue to get massive loans for ‘infrastructure’ and the number of luxury everything will increase.

China city will become China Mega City One.

Oh, there will be the ethnic minority who wear funny looking clothes and do cute dances in a cute show for visitors to see. All worth throwing some RMB for the trained monkeys to dance.

Sorry for the pessimism.

newkidontheblock wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 3:29 am
Sorry for the pessimism.

you name it yourself..pessimism.

xandreu wrote: ↑Sun Dec 08, 2019 6:51 am I predict that the wealth divide will be the biggest change. There is an ever growing middle class here that will continue to grow exponentially , Chinese investment will continue to pour into the country and on the surface, Cambodia will be transformed into a relatively modern almost developed country, but very little will be done for those at the bottom, and for many of those, the poverty levels will remain the same. They will just be pushed further out of sight and out of mind.

I agree and anyone who has been around SE Asia over the past 20 years will see it clearly. The oligarchs and the middle class will increase their personal wealth. Large areas of Phnom Penh will be redeveloped with malls, business centres, apartment blocks, even a light rail / metro system. But for the average khmer life will be the same. City slums, rural poverty, lives of quiet desperation. You want to see an example? Vietnam. I was first there in 1997, and it was Cambodia to a T. Now there are multi-millionaires in Hanoi McMansions, Bentleys on Dong Khoi, upmarket malls, huge corporations like Vingroup and Golden Gate, immense wealth as always in the hands of a few. On the outside? Life is exactly the same for the rural poor and the city dwellers. There are still shack cities along the river in D7, sure they have nearly finished a Metro system but moving people around at low cost does not radically change their lives. Things can change in the West because there is the freedom to elect their own leaders and if they get it wrong, try again in 4 years. In 3rd world single party states it will never happen. As Churchill said, democracy is the worst form of government except for all the other forms of government.

You know what the traffic is like on NYE around BKK1, Bassac Lane, Riverside and all the roundabouts, the gridlock and foul polluted air?

It will be like that, every day. And it won't take 20 years. Maybe 10 or less.

(Phnom Penh prediction. Dunno about anywhere else)

Probably messy.

:first of all I think the center of PP will move in general. I think many are right but wrong about the chines because I see China about to implode in many ways..

But in the end Cambodia will be Cambodia I also think that Thailand Veitnam will have better relations with Cambodia with the exclusion of China.

Why I think China will implode? They will keep intruding on water rights and the first shot will be fired from the philipeans and when that happens all shit is going to break lose..

As a westerner visiting Cambodia I am taken in by the countries ‘exotic charm’, for example the traditional Khmer houses on stilts, cows grazing in fields, endless rice fields etc. To me it looked like a stress free idyllic lifestyle, I was actually quite envious. This is what attracts me to SE Asia.

From a Khmer perspective I can understand the need to develop from a third world country to an modern country like Singapore which has a high standard of living. It would appear that to achieve this the Cambodia government has sort the help of China by borrowing huge amounts of money.

From a Chinese perspective China wishing to extend its geopolitical influence in the world is using debt diplomacy to takeover Cambodia. It has given Cambodia huge loans for infrastructure projects e.g. airports, roads, hydropower dams etc. that will never be paid back. Like Sri Lanka which was forced give the port of Hambantota to China, so will Cambodia be forced to give parts of Cambodia to China in the near future.


`There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt. ' John Adams.

In one speech giving differing messages depending on who reads it.

PM promotes global governance with multilateralism
Ben Sokhean / Khmer Times

Prime Minister HE speaks at the opening ceremony of the boao Forum for Asia on the World in Exchange or Working Together to Strengthen Global Governance.​​​​ KT/khem sovannara

Prime Minister HE yesterday called for global governance that upholds multilateralism and respects international laws and the sovereignty of each nation amid challenges stemming from intense “geo-political rivalries” between superpowers.


His call was made at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 under the theme “A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation” in Boao, south China’s Hainan province via video conference yesterday.

In his speech, Mr HE said besides the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is facing multifaceted challenges stemming from intense “geo-political rivalries” between superpowers, accompanied by the emergence of “middle-powers” that are moving rapidly in the foreground of regional politics.



“In this circumstance, I am of the view that the world does need a global governance that upholds multilateralism and respects international laws and the sovereignty of each individual nation, regardless of its size or wealth, with the United Nations as the core,” he said.

Mr HE noted that the Kingdom recognises the central role of “multilateralism” in addressing complex and interconnected global challenges.

“In this context, each country should play more active roles in global governance with a flexible, constructive and responsible manner,” he said.

As the chair of the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, Mr HE said Cambodia has selected the theme “Strengthening Multilateralism for Shared Growth” to showcase the commitment of all ASEM Partners to enhance the global governance in reinforcing multilateralism, combating climate change and promoting economic recovery after the pandemic.

Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry has said the ASEM Summit scheduled for early June, has postponed the political forum’s biennial meeting until later this year due to coronavirus. The government proposed that the date be either late October or early November this year.



Additionally, Mr HE predicted a more reinvigorated Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that is capable of bringing about solidarity amongst all countries to contribute to the recovery process.

“The positive momentum achieved under the BRI, since its inception, has contributed to boosting regional and global cooperation in terms of hard and soft infrastructures, economy, trade, investment opportunities, cultural exchange and people-to-people connectivity,” he said.

“At the time of this economic downturn, BRI still remains as a driving force to continue expanding cooperation among countries in the region and the world for the cause of peace, security, prosperity and sustainable development,” Mr HE added.