Canadian company Lee Li Holdings is looking at investment opportunities in Cambodia in several potential sectors, including gas and oil, healthcare, food processing and logistics, automobiles and exports accreditation.

In a July 2 meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet, company president and CEO Lee Q. Shim said that his visit aims to explore opportunities in these five potential areas. At the same time, Manet welcomed their interest in finding investment prospects in Cambodia, a press release from Manet’s cabinet said.

During the meeting in Phnom Penh, Manet stated that Cambodia established two representative offices of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) in Canada, in Toronto and Montreal, to link trade relations between the two countries, as well as facilitate the export of products from Cambodia to Canada and vice-versa.

“Shim’s visit will further contribute to the promotion of trade relations between Cambodia and Canada,” the prime minister said. 

Manet encouraged the company to continue detailed discussions with relevant ministries and institutions, such as the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Health.

He stated that the government has always supported the private sector by providing encouragement and facilitating the success and growth of companies that invest in the country.

Socio-economic analyst Chey Tech told The Post on July 3 that Canada is one of the largest investors in Cambodia, noting that in terms of foreign direct investment (FDI), Canada reached $1.1 billion as of 2021.

He said that in the first four months this year, Cambodia’s exports to Canada increased by 23.8%, equivalent to $311 million, compared to the same period in 2023. He noted that Cambodia’s main exports to Canada are garments, footwear, travel goods and electronic components, while imports from Canada include machinery and automobiles.

“The intention to expand investment and trade in these five areas is very important because Canada is a high-tech country which can contribute to developing infrastructure and expanding Cambodia's economic diversification in clean energy, telecommunications, agriculture, etc.

“Gas and oil investment stagnated after the bankruptcy of previous companies. Therefore, it is a positive sign for the development of Cambodia's gas and oil sector, as well as the food processing and logistics sectors, because Cambodia has some issues related to logistics, which pose a barrier to investment expansion and FDI attraction,” Tech said.

Regarding the company’s intention to invest in the automotive sector, he explained that it is due to the government's favourable policies and vision of turning Cambodia into a regional vehicle manufacturing and assembly centre.

Chey stressed the importance of accreditation centres for exports, saying that international shipments of goods, especially agricultural products, require certified and standardised assessments in order to export goods to European countries, the US and Canada.

“This is a positive development. We want to see the expansion of investment, trade and cooperation between the two countries,” he added.