https://www.phnompenhpost.com/opinion/ ... whos-loser
Letter to the editor: Chinese investments in Cambodia are win-win-lose, and guess who’s the loser

Editor,

Following The Post’s article titled HE comes to China’s defence, praises investment and development aid (April 26), I would like to make the following remarks.

The main problem with Chinese investments is their complete lack of transparency, which favours corruption among both Chinese investors and Cambodian government officials. These investments generally consist of “win-win-lose” arrangements, with the Cambodian people being the silent loser.

Foreign investments are expected to create jobs in the host country, which is not the case for Chinese investments in Cambodia because the needed workers are brought from China, where a portion of the money from the “investments” therefore returns. Moreover, transfer of technologies – another benefit normally associated with foreign direct investment – does not exist.

With the import of Chinese labour, no Cambodian workers are trained to acquire professional skills and there is no opportunity to develop the human resources the country badly lacks, as pointed out by Prime Minister HE himself as an excuse for the omnipresence of Chinese workers. The HE government is therefore developing a vicious circle that maintains Cambodia in ignorance, poverty and dependence.

We often notice that, when dealing with HE’s Cambodia, China generously gives with one hand but greedily takes back with the other immediate and disproportionate advantages in the form of mining, forest and land concessions as well as lucrative risk-free business contracts, for example in the production of hydroelectricity.

Massive Chinese tourism is organised around Chinese companies and the remaining money left in Cambodia hardly outweighs the ecological and social costs incurred by our country.

We know HE desperately needs China’s support to help defend and protect his regime because China does not pay any attention to the rule of law, democracy and human rights in countries where it “invests”. By recklessly siding with China just to cling on to power HE shows his economic shortsightedness and his lack of consideration for Cambodia’s interests.

Sam Rainsy is the former president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party and President of the Cambodia National Rescue Movement.

Strangely when Rainsy was in the country he continuously attacked Vietnamese businesses, while studiously avoiding any reference to the Chinese. One would be forgiven for thinking his new stance has more to do with China's support for HE, than any real concern for Cambodian businesses,or workers.

Be that as it may but what he has said is true and the Khmer people , except the favoured few, get screwed by both.