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Cambodia’s push to attract fresh Chinese investment was a key focus of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s visit to China, which wraps up on Friday after meetings with business executives and senior Chinese officials.
Several Chinese firms from sectors including education, technology, agriculture, energy and manufacturing expressed interest in investing in or expanding operations in Cambodia during a meeting with the prime minister, according to a Cambodian government statement.
Hun Manet said in a Facebook post on Thursday that Beijing Star AI was working with local partners to explore artificial intelligence investments in Cambodia, while Haier Group planned to establish a tablet assembly plant. He welcomed the companies’ interest and encouraged them to continue working with relevant ministries.
He also held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation.
Li described China and Cambodia as “ironclad friends” and said Beijing supports more capable Chinese enterprises investing in Cambodia. Hun Manet reaffirmed Cambodia’s adherence to the One China policy, under which Beijing says self-governed Taiwan is part of its territory.
The meeting follows Senate President Hun Sen’s visit to Beijing in June. Hun Sen, who handed power to his son Hun Manet in 2023, met Chinese President Xi Jinping, who pledged to establish a security partnership with Cambodia.
The countries’ foreign and defense ministers also met in Phnom Penh in April to deepen political and security ties.
Hun Manet also attended China’s flagship World AI Conference in Shanghai this week.
It remains unclear whether Hun Manet held a bilateral meeting with Xi, although the two were photographed together at the opening ceremony of the World AI Conference on Thursday.
The visit comes as Chinese investment continues to play a major role in Cambodia’s economy.
Chinese investors accounted for the second-largest share, after domestic investors, of the 276 projects approved in the first half of 2026, with a combined value of $4.7 billion, according to the Council for the Development of Cambodia.
China also remains Cambodia’s largest bilateral creditor, holding more than one-third of the country’s external debt.
Ky Sereyvath, an economic analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said increased Chinese investment could create jobs, boost exports and help Cambodia absorb the technology and expertise needed to develop its own industries.
“Whether we like it or not, this segment of manufacturing is bound to shift toward Southeast Asia, and Cambodia is one of the countries in the region that stands to receive it,” he said. “Despite the geopolitical tensions between the United States, Europe and China, Cambodia can still benefit from some of these developments.”
Sereyvath said Cambodia is not the main destination for Chinese industrial investment, with Thailand and Vietnam attracting much larger inflows.
“Cambodia needs to develop a skilled workforce and strengthen its capacity to absorb technology so that, in the long term, it can build its own manufacturing capabilities instead of relying primarily on foreign investment,” he said.
