AKP Phnom Penh, January 14, 2025 --

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth received here late last week H.E. KATO Katsunobu, Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Financial Services of Japan.

According to a press release of the Ministry of Economy and Finance issued this afternoon, in the meeting, H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth expressed his deep gratitude to the Government and people of Japan for their active contribution to the peace-seeking process and for their support to the socio-economic development in Cambodia, affirming that the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries elevated in 2023 as well as their ties of friendship and cooperation have been constantly strengthened and expanded. 
Financing from Japan, both concessional and non-concessional, has provided timely response to the priority needs of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and greatly contributed to building infrastructure to boost the economic growth and improve people's livelihoods, he said. 
Additionally, he continued, financing from the Government of Japan has contributed to Cambodia's internal connectivity, leading to her economic integration into the region and the world. 
For his part, H.E. KATO Katsunobu highly evaluated the fruitful results of Japanese cooperation financing in Cambodia, especially the development of physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, international ports, irrigation systems, electricity, hospitals and schools. 

Contributions from the private sector, including Japanese companies, have played an important role in the economic development and job creation, which has helped improve the living standard of Cambodians, he said. 
H.E. KATO Katsunobu emphasised that while supporting Cambodia through official development assistance, the Japanese government has also been focusing on investment by Japanese companies in Cambodia, which is a key factor for supporting the latter’s economic growth and sustainable development.

H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth underlined that the development of the private sector is a priority of the RGC, which considers that the private sector is an engine of economic growth while the RGC is a strategist. 
The Ministry of Economy and Finance will continue to foster financial and development cooperation between Cambodia and Japan in accordance with the RGC’s Pentagonal Strategy -Phase 1, he added. 

The two sides also discussed economic and financial cooperation within the framework of ASEAN, ASEAN Plus 1 and ASEAN Plus 3.

By Chea Vannak