PHNOM PENH, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation Hem Vanndy has spoken highly of a Chinese-operated cement plant in southwestern Kampot province, encouraging the company to expand investment in the Southeast Asian country.
The minister made the remarks during a visit on Monday to the Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting Factory Co., Ltd, a subsidiary of Huaxin Building Materials Group Co., said a press release from the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation (MISTI) on Tuesday.
The Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting Factory, established in 1961 as the country's first cement plant, has been transformed by Huaxin's investment into an integrated industrial park supplying a wide range of construction materials for major infrastructure projects nationwide.
Vanndy commended the company's long-term investment and encouraged it to expand investment, strengthen competitiveness, and explore new opportunities in construction materials and exports.
"We highly value the company's presence and continued expansion, which reflects strong confidence in our economic stability and long-term development potential," he said.
He encouraged expansion beyond the domestic market, emphasized fair competition, and stressed the need for sustainable raw material supply, particularly limestone, for long-term development.
Vanndy also encouraged the company to deepen its investment by advancing Research and development (R&D) and expanding into new construction materials, particularly those with high import demand such as tiles and marble.
"Material science is critical to industrial development. Material science is critical to industrial development," he said. "We encourage Huaxin to work with the National Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (NISTI) to invest in R&D, including waste management and innovative reuse of materials," the minister said.
On the occasion, Ke Hongwei, managing director of the Huaxin Industrial Park, which includes the Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting Factory, presented Huaxin's global operations and its diversified business portfolio, noting that in Cambodia, the company reinvested in the Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting Factory in 2012 to modernize the facility and expand its operations.
"Over the past decade, we have remained committed to long-term investment in Cambodia, continuously improving product quality, production efficiency, and services to ensure a stable and sustainable supply to the local market. We are also expanding into plaster and other construction materials," he said.
Meanwhile, the company requested MISTI's support to promote the use of locally produced packaging bags, and announced plans to soon introduce new products for the domestic market to help reduce reliance on imports, according to the press release. ■
