A spokesman for the Cambodian government expressed regret over the US
Congress’s decision to pass a bill empowering the president to sanction
individual officials deemed to be responsible for undermining democracy and
committing human rights violations, saying that the bill will negatively
impact the relationship between the two nations. The bill will now have to
pass through the senate before being approved by the president.
The World Bank downgraded Cambodia’s forecasted economic growth for 2021 to
2.2 percent from a previous projection of 4 percent, and urged the country
to strengthen its external competitiveness to accelerate economic recovery
and boost job creation.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an $82 million loan to
improve approximately 48km of national and provincial roads in Prey Veng and
Kandal provinces to boost economic development along the Greater Mekong
Subregion’s (GMS) southern economic corridor.
Indonesia, Cambodia, and a Bahamas-flagged oil tanker are embroiled in an
escalating quarrel over nearly 300,000 barrels of crude oil that Phnom Penh
alleges was stolen by the ship’s crew. Ministry of Mines and Energy has
claimed that the stolen $21 million crude oil on MT Strovolos legally
belongs to Cambodia, denying the news and declarations of owners and
managers of the vessel.
Cambodia's Ministry of Interior and China’s Ministry of Public Security
have agreed to continue their cooperation on preventing transnational crimes
such as illegal online gambling operations and drug trafficking.
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; President of the Cambodian
People’s Party and Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen; and General Secretary
of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun
Sisoulith held a meeting in Hanoi on September 26. Cambodia has donated
200,000 doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines to Laos to contribute to
their fight against the pandemic.
