The Cambodian delegation meets with Henan Airport Investment Group executives in Zhengzhou, China. CDC
Cambodia has invited Henan Airport Investment Group, a shareholder of Air Cambodia, to explore possibilities for expanding people-to-people and business-to-business (B2B) connectivity between Cambodia and China.
Sun Chanthol, first vice-president of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), shared the suggestion during a visit to Henan Airport Investment Group and Air Cambodia’s headquarters in Zhengzhou.
He led a Cambodian delegation which included representatives from the CDC, the Cambodia Tourism Marketing and Promotion Board and the Cambodian Oknha Association.
According to the CDC, the visit aimed to study enterprise operations and attract Chinese investment into Cambodia.
During the meeting, the delegation shared details of Cambodia’s investment climate – including government support for the private sector and the country’s tourism potential – to their Chinese counterparts.
Chanthol praised the growth of Henan Airport Investment Group and its role as a shareholder in Air Cambodia, recognising its positive impact on Cambodia-China economic cooperation.
He extended an invitation for the company's leadership to visit Cambodia to further explore investment opportunities.
“I encourage our Chinese partners to consider expanding Air Cambodia's flight destinations to enhance people-to-people and business-to-business (B2B) connections. Our goal is to attract one million tourists from China in 2025,” he said.
Yi Riwu, CEO of Henan Airport Investment Group, welcomed the delegation and provided them with an overview of the company’s history and recent developments. He noted that the company is aligning its operations with China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the Air Silk Road Initiative.
“Recently, our company took concrete steps to invest in Cambodia by becoming a shareholder in Air Cambodia,” he explained.
According to the CDC, Henan Airport Investment Group is a state-owned enterprise specialising in infrastructure investment, technology development, operations management, industrial parks and aviation-related industries.
According to the Ministry of Tourism, Cambodia recorded a total of 6.7 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, a 22.9% increase compared to 2023.
Chinese tourists ranked third among the top visitors, with 848,952 arrivals, up 55% year-on-year.
Based on positive trends in 2024, the country expects to attract between 7.2 and 7.5 million international visitors in 2025.
Speaking at the ministry’s annual meeting in February, tourism minister Huot Hak attributed the sector’s success to strong national and international cooperation.
This included inter-ministerial efforts, collaboration with the private sector, support from foreign embassies in Cambodia, development partners, Cambodian diplomatic missions abroad, and both bilateral and multilateral international partnerships, as well as media engagement and public participation.
The minister noted that government reforms and new strategies have played a key role in the positive momentum of 2024 and the optimistic outlook for 2025.
These include: The integration of e-Visa and e-Arrival systems into a single platform, visa fee reductions for international tourists, adjustments to ticketing systems for visiting Angkor, the implementation of digital payment systems for tourists and the establishment of a task force to combat online fraud.
The CDC approved 414 investment projects in 2024, a 54% increase over the 268 approved in 2023. Total investment capital reached $6.9 billion, up 40%.
Among sources of investment capital, Chinese firms led with a 49.82% share, followed by Cambodians (33.81%), Vietnam (8.11%), and other contributors from Singapore, the Cayman Islands, Malaysia, Japan, the US and Thailand.
