This thread is dedicated to anything related to ethnic Chinese main lander's who are currently living in Cambodia and doing business!

:cheers::cheers::cheers:

Chinese engineer loves living in Cambodia
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER



http://www.phnompenhpost.com/images/stories/news/national/2011/110930/chday/110930_5a.jpg
Sun Yanqian.
A major player in Cambodia’s hydro-electric industry is Sun Yanqian, Deputy General Manager, Senior Engineer at China Huadian Corporation, one of China’s largest producers of electricity with over one billion megawatts generated through hydroelectric, coal, solar and wind power.

Trained as a civil engineer, Sun, 60, has carried out projects around the world and is enjoying his life developing Cambodia’s hydroelectric power projects.

His latest project is a 338 megawatt dam along the Stung River in Koh Kong province. The project was initiated on April 1, 2010, and should be finished by the end of June, 2013.

About 20 per cent of the dam has been completed, although there were engineering difficulties in the soil, the power lines to Koh Kong and the road to the project have both been completed.

The $550 million project is being built according to a build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement with a 4-year construction period and an operational period of 30 years before it is handed back to the Cambodian government.

“The sales price for the electricity is 7.35 cents per kilowatt hour,” Sun said.

The generating turbines will come from various factories in China, including Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou.

The projected output of the plant is one billion kilowatt hours per year, according to Sun. The dam itself is 110 metres tall and 100 metres wide. There are 4,000 workers on the project right now, with 50 per cent Cambodians and 50 per cent Chinese.

Sun has spent his last 15 years in Cambodia, arriving first to build the terminal at Sihanoukville Airport, but had to stop the project during the fighting in 1997.

He later supervised construction on Route 21 to Vietnam and also worked on a medicine factory in Phnom Penh.

He and his wife have one daughter who is a PhD researcher at one of China’s most famous and prestigious schools, The Rockefeller-established Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College.

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Pan Guangxue, left, and Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Stung River Hydro-electric Project in Koh Kong. Sun and his wife are very proud of her.

After earning a degree in civil engineering in 1980, Sun went to work for a design institute in Beijing and in 1983 was posted to a design institute in Yunnan province.

There, he worked in the field of light industrial design for sugar factories, chemical and textile manufacturing.

After Yunnan, Sun was posted to Vang Vieng in where he built a cement factory in a joint venture between Laos and China, working there from 1990 to 1994,

After Laos, Sun was posted to Karachi, Pakistan, from 1994 to 1996 where he worked on a water project funded by the World Bank.

He did not enjoy his time in Pakistan because of some fighting and strict policies.

Sun’s next posting was in Mauritius, building the five-star Louie Hotel at the sea port.

“We built the hotel for a South African company and we were in charge of construction. I liked it because it was peaceful and no fighting. Europeans go there for tourism,” he said.

Since 2004, Sun has been involved with the hydro power project in Koh Kong, starting with a feasibility study.

Sun also served as project manager on a power line project from Phnom Penh to Battambong.

The project began in 2007 and was completed in June this year.

From 2004 to 2007, Sun worked on the Stung Atay, a 120 megawatts dam along the same river, that is scheduled for completion in 2013. Now he’s working on the larger sister project.
Sun loves living in Cambodia.

“I think Cambodia is the best for me. I’m used to living here. In China it is a big country and it is not so easy to get things done. For example in Cambodia, I have a schedule, I can do many things easily. But in Beijing it is not so easy to get so many things done,” he smiled.

Sun hopes some day to retire in Kunming in Yunnan province.

“I like Kunming because it is a smaller place and cooler with a 2,000 metre altitude,” he said.

Ice sculptors from China in Phnom Penh
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 DON WEINLAND
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Chinese ice sculptures in Phnom Penh by sculptors from Harbin, China.
Dong Su has spent his last month and a half in Phnom Penh at freezing temperatures. At Ice Art, an ice sculpture exhibition on the capital’s Diamond Island, the 32-year-old from Guangdong, China, has hosted an increasing number of Cambodian guests on a tour through sparkling ice castles and palaces.

Reactions to the show from the primarily local audience have been that of amazement, Dong said.

“They’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s a completely new experience for almost every visitor who comes to our exhibition,” Dong said.

“And for many of our guests, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We want visitors to walk away with a lasting impression.”

A team of 30 Chinese operates the exhibition, 15 of which are ice sculpting masters from the northeastern city of Harbin. Harbin gained international fame after the opening of China in the late 1970s for its annual ice sculpture exhibition. Dong said he has brought some of Harbin’s most talented ice sculptors to Phnom Penh to produce the show which is housed is a 5,000 cubic metre building.

This isn’t the first international appearance of China’s renowned ice sculptures. Dong’s company, Ice Art, has opened exhibitions in the US, Canada and Germany. Other Chinese companies that specialise in ice presentations have visited Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.

The decision to open an exhibition in Phnom Penh was purely economic. Current growth in Cambodia’s economy resembles closely that of China some 20 years earlier, Dong said.

“Being here in this country now is definitely an opportunity for businesspeople,” he said. “Right now you see many Chinese people coming to Cambodia to do business. This is because we were in the same situation not long ago. We recognise this chance to do good business.”

Anyone with transportation – whether it be a motorcycle or a luxury car – is the target audience for the show. Dong said the appeal of ice sculptures is not limited to a particular age group or income strata. Tickets are priced low so as to accommodate a majority of the capital’s population.

Despite the similarity in growth patterns between Cambodia and China, customer behavior is disparate, Dong said. Similar ice shows in China and Hong Kong have attracted long lines of visitors for a short period of time, he said. Then the crowds disappear all together. Cambodians, however, slowly trickle in over a long period of time.

Cambodia influences Chinese teacher to be more flexible
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/images/stories/news/national/2011/110930/chday/110930_04a.jpg

Photo by: Stuart Alan Becker
Zhou Liyun.

One friendly and high-achieving Chinese citizen in Phnom Penh is Zhou Liyun, 26, a Chinese language teacher at Royal Phnom Penh University.

Born in a small town of about 450,000 people called Nujiang, in Yunnan province, Zhou is here as part of the DHY-RUPP Program, between three Chinese universities (DHY) in Yunnan province and the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP).

Nujiang is also a famous Chinese river, one of three major rivers flowing through Yunnan province including the Lanchang River and the Jinsha River, which flows into the Yangtze River or “Long River”.

Like many young Chinese men his age, Zhou, nicknamed Joe in English, is the only child of his parents according to China’s “one child” policy. He was born in 1985 and both his parents are farmers,
growing rice and corn, beans, cabbages, tomatoes, potatoes and garlic.

“Now my mom has her own restaurant business, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

Zhou’s childhood was a happy one, spending his younger years mostly with his grandmother as his parents worked in the fields.

Some of his happiest memories are swimming in a small river with the other kids as a young teenager, eating fresh corn from the fields, either raw or roasted on a fire.

Zhou experienced a big shock when he reached Dali University in 2004. It was his first time away from home by himself and he couldn’t find an ATM machine on the new campus where everything was under construction.

“It was difficult because I had spent all my cash,” he said.

Luckily, Zhou met some friends from his hometown high school and calmed down. Then a head teacher came to visit in the evening and really made the new students feel comfortable.

“We loved this guy,” Zhou said.

That same evening, through the help of new friends, they took a bus downtown, found and an ATM and Zhou had some cash again.

He found a part time job at the International Exchange and Cooperation Division where he took care of all the foreigners from India, the USA, Korea, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

“I was like a personal assistant and would help them live there and study and work,” he said.

At the end of 2007 we opened a language center, and they needed someone at the DHY, Dali University, Honghe University, and Yuxi University (DHY-RUPP). In 2008, Zhou graduated with a degree in Chinese language and literature. He arrived in Cambodia on July 8, 2008. He teaches about 24 to 30 hours per week.

Most of the students are Cambodian, with a few foreigners also who want to learn Chinese, including Koreans and Americans.

Zhou specialises in teaching Chinese to beginners.

“At first they find it difficult to learn Chinese, but once they start, they learn the culture and the background and it becomes easy for them to communicate in Chinese,” he said.

In China, the standard practice in classrooms is for the student to stand up next to his chair if called upon by the teacher and recite the answer. Zhou was shocked when a Cambodian student could not answer his question.

“In China we ask students to stand up and answer questions and if you do not, you feel shamed,” he said.

“One girl could not answer and she just stood there and smiled. My opinion was changed at that moment,” Zhou said.

On another occasion a female student approached Zhou and said she could not study that day.

“I asked her why, and she said there is would be a party in my home. I told her in China no teacher would allow a student to leave the class for a party. I saw on her face she felt sad. So at that moment I realized this was not China; this was Cambodia -- so I said just go.”

“Several months later one of my students got married and I was invited. I asked a lot of people and they said you should dress up and join a wedding party. I felt happy in the wedding, the girls dressed up with makeup and they were beautiful. In China we don’t do it like this, but in Cambodia it is so beautiful and formal, so the next time if any students ask me for a leave for party, I will say just go.”

“Right here in Cambodia life is life and the party is part of your life, so you should go. You should not miss the party. You can always make up the class.”

Zhou admits that during his four years in Cambodia some of his ideas have changed. What has not changed, however, is his love for his home town in Yunnan Province.

“Maybe I will stay two years more. I think maybe I will go back to China and to open my own language school”.

Zhou’s beautiful Chinese wife Li Yan, 29, also works in the same program and she’s from Dali, the town of his university. He saved money and bought a Toyota since he’s been here and wants to eventually return to his home town and open a language school.

“I can invite more teachers to do something in my home town. I should pay them back because they gave me so much. Now, more and more young people are going back to home town after they graduate. Ten years ago lots of them would prefer to stay in the big city, but right now more and more people know they can create opportunity by themselves in their own place. We should go back to build the home town. For Chinese people the family is very important.”

“In my hometown it is very simple. You have no money to find someone to help you do the farming. I go to help my neighbors and the next day they will come to help me.

One of his favorite movies is The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise because it shows cross-cultural exchanges and common purposes.

“I asked her why, and she said there is would be a party in my home. I told her in China no teacher would allow a student to leave the class for a party. I saw on her face she felt sad. So at that moment I realised this was not China; this was Cambodia - so I said just go.

“Several months later one of my students got married and I was invited. I asked a lot of people and they said you should dress up and join a wedding party. I felt happy in the wedding, the girls dressed up with make-up and they were beautiful. In China we don’t do it like this, but in Cambodia it is so beautiful and formal, so the next time if any students ask me for a leave for party, I will say just go.

“Right here in Cambodia life is life and the party is part of your life, so you should go. You should not miss the party. You can always make up the class.”

Zhou admits that during his four years in Cambodia some of his ideas have changed. What has not changed, however, is his love for his home town in Yunnan province.

“Maybe I will stay two years more. I think maybe I will go back to China and to open my own language school”.

Zhou’s beautiful Chinese wife Li Yan, 29, also works in the same program and she’s from Dali, the town of his university. He saved money and bought a Toyota since he’s been here and wants to eventually return to his home town and open a language school.

“I can invite more teachers to do something in my home town. I should pay them back because they gave me so much. Now, more and more young people are going back to home town after they graduate.

In my hometown it is very simple. You have no money to find someone to help you do the farming. I go to help my neighbours and the next day they will come to help me.

One of his favourite movies is The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, because it shows cross-cultural exchanges and common purposes.

Ambassador expresses pride in China
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 POST STAFF

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Message from Pan Guangxue, Ambassador to Cambodia from the People’s Republic of China

Chinese Ambassador Pan Guangxue chooses the winners in the lucky draw at the mid-Autumn festival celebration of The China Hong Kong & Macau Expatriate & Business Association of Cambodia at Diamond Island on September 11. October 1, 2011, is the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Sixty-two years is a short period in the 5,000 years of civilisation of China. However, in the past 62 years China has undergone profound changes and made remarkable achievements thanks to its pursuit of peaceful development.

China’s overall strength has grown considerably. An historic transformation from a highly centralised planned economy to a dynamic socialist market economy has been achieved in China. The Chinese people, once inadequately fed and clad, are leading decent lives on the whole, an historic breakthrough. A social security system covering both urban and rural residents is taking shape, and culture, education, science and technology, health care, sports and other social programs are flourishing.

With the steady deepening of its opening-up, China has maintained business and trade ties with 163 countries and regions to date. It has signed 10 free-trade-zone agreements, bilateral investment treaties with 129 countries and double taxation avoidance agreements with 96 countries. It has reduced its total tariff rate from 15.3 per cent before its entry into the WTO to the present 9.8 per cent, and abolished most non-tariff measures. All this shows that China is actively promoting liberalisation and facilitation of trade and investment.

China has made important contributions to the stable development of the world economy. Since its entry into the WTO in 2001, China has imported goods worth nearly US$750 billion every year and created over 14 million jobs for those exporting countries and regions. Over the past decade, foreign-funded companies in China have remitted a total of US$261.7 billion of profits, with an annual increase of 30 per cent. From 2000 to 2010, China’s annual non-financial direct overseas investment grew from less than US$1 billion to US$59 billion, thus boosting the economic development in the recipient countries. China has contributed over 10 per cent to world economic growth every year in recent years.

Since the international financial crisis erupted in 2008, China has taken an active part in the building of a global economic governance mechanism, got involved in multi-country macroeconomic policy coordination and participated in international trade financing schemes and financial cooperation. It has sent large overseas purchasing missions and helped countries in difficulties. China conscientiously meets the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, and is the only country in the world that has halved the number of people living in poverty ahead of schedule. In addition, China provides assistance to other countries and regions as its capacity permits. By the end of 2009, China had given assistance worth RMB 256.3 billion to 161 countries and over 30 international and regional organisations reduced and canceled 380 debts incurred by 50 heavily indebted poor countries and least-developed countries, trained 120,000 people for other developing countries, and sent 21,000 medical personnel and nearly 10,000 teachers abroad to help other countries. China encourages the least-developed countries to expand exports to China and has pledged zero tariff treatment to over 95 per cent of the exports to China by all the least-developed countries which have diplomatic relations with China.

China plays an important role in safeguarding world peace and meeting global challenges. China is the only nuclear-weapon country that has publicly stated that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons, or use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear-weapon states or nuclear-weapon-free zones. China has dispatched about 21,000 personnel on 30 UN peacekeeping missions, which is the highest number among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. China takes an active part in international cooperation in anti-terrorism and nonproliferation. It provides humanitarian aid and dispatches rescue teams to countries hit by severe natural disasters. China is a member of over 100 intergovernmental international organisations, a party to over 300 international conventions and an active participant in building the international system. China has settled historical boundary issues with 12 land neighbours. It calls for settling disputes over territory and maritime rights and interests with neighbouring countries through dialogue and negotiation. For instance, China has made a constructive proposal to “shelve disputes and seek joint development” and done its utmost to uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea, East China Sea and the surrounding areas. China seeks to promote common development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region by pursuing bilateral cooperation and participating in regional and sub-regional cooperation.

We take pride in the achievements made jointly by all the Chinese people with their painstaking efforts in the pursuit of peaceful development. Meanwhile, we are soberly aware that China has a large population yet a weak economic base. It has to feed close to 20 per cent of the world’s population with 7.9 per cent of the world’s farmland and 6.5 per cent of the world’s fresh water. What has been achieved in its social and economic development must meet the need of 1.3 billion people, which presents a great challenge to China. China’s per capita GDP in 2010 was about US$4,400, ranking around the 100th place in the world. Unbalanced development still exists between the urban and rural areas and among different regions; the structural problems in economic and social development remain acute; and economic growth, which excessively depends on resource input, is increasingly constrained by resource shortages and environmental problems. All this has made the shifting of the growth model a daunting task. China’s capacity for independent innovation is weak, and it is at the low end of the value chain in both international division of labour and trade. The standard of living of the Chinese is not high, and China’s social security system is inadequate, lagging far behind those of the developed countries.

China is the only nuclear-weapon country that has publicly stated that it will not be the first to use nuclear weapons

China’s modernisation involves one fifth of the world’s population and will be a long-term process. The scale and magnitude of the difficulties and problems involved are unprecedented in the present world and rare in human history. China will remain a developing country for a long time to come, which means that China must dedicate itself to advancing its modernisation drive, promoting development and improving its people's livelihood.

To build a society of higher-level initial prosperity in an all-round way which benefits over one billion Chinese people is the medium-and long-term goal and to implement the Twelfth Five-Year Plan of development is the near and medium-term goal of China's pursuit of peaceful development. From ensuring people's basic living needs to building a society of initial prosperity and then to reaching the level of the medium-developed countries - this is what China's strategy for peaceful development is all about.

To reach these goals, China will make the following efforts:

Accelerating the shifting of the model of growth;

Making adjustment in the economic sectors will receive top priority. The all-round, coordinated and sustainable growth of China's economy will create great space for the growth of the world economy.

Further exploiting China's domestic resources and its market strengths.

China's consumption structure will be further upgraded, and the potential of individual consumption will be further released. All this will create more business opportunities to other countries.
Accelerating the building of a harmonious society;

China will accelerate the building of a harmonious society with emphasis on improving people's lives and the reform of social systems, and fully respect and uphold basic human rights and other lawful rights and interests of citizens, so that all the people enjoy the full benefit of the peaceful development.

Implementing the opening-up strategy of mutual benefit;

China will continue to pursue the basic state policy of opening up to the outside world, speed up the way of conducting foreign trade, make better use of foreign investment, attach greater importance to overseas investment and international cooperation, continue to open China's financial market and financial sectors in an orderly way, and promote the sound development of economic globalisation.

Creating a peaceful international environment and favourable external conditions;

China will continue to promote friendly relations with other countries on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. We will explore ways to establish and develop a new type of relationship among the major countries, enhance friendship and cooperation with both the neighbouring countries and other Asian countries as well as unity with other developing countries, actively engage in handling multilateral issues and addressing global issues, continue to carry out exchanges and cooperation with the parliaments, parties, local authorities and NGOs of other countries, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to enhance understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and the people of other countries.

China is committed to pursuing a defence policy which is defensive in nature. China faces multiple traditional and non-traditional security challenges and the threat of separatists and terrorism. The fundamental purpose of modernising the Chinese armed forces is to safeguard China's sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and interests of national development. China will not engage in an arms race with any other country, and it does not pose a military threat to any other country. It is committed to solving international disputes and hotspot issues with peaceful means, promotes international and regional security cooperation and opposes terrorism in all forms.

Peaceful development is a strategic choice made by China to realise modernisation, make itself strong and prosperous and make more contribution to the progress of human civilisation.

In the Chinese culture the world has been believed to be a harmonious whole ever since the ancient times. The Chinese people have always cherished a world view of “unity without uniformity”, “harmony between man and nature”, and “harmony is invaluable”. Under the influence of the culture of harmony, peace-loving has been deeply ingrained in the Chinese character. Imbued with the belief that one should be as inclusive as the vast ocean which admits hundreds of rivers, the Chinese nation has embraced all that is fine in foreign cultures. We respect different cultures and views, treat others in the same way as we expect to be treated, and do not impose our will upon others. We treat all foreign countries with courtesy, foster harmonious ties with neighbors and make friends with distant states.

China adopts the following thinking on international relations and foreign policies that conform to peaceful development -- promoting the building of a harmonious world and new thinking on security featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, actively living up to international responsibility and promoting regional cooperation and good-neighborly relations. China does not seek regional hegemony or sphere of influence, nor does it want to exclude any country from participating in regional cooperation. China's prosperity, development and long-term stability represent an opportunity rather than a threat to its neighbors. China will uphold the Asian spirit of standing on its own feet, being bold in opening new ground, being open and inclusive and sharing weal and woe. It will remain a good neighbor, friend and partner of other Asian countries.

China's peaceful development has broken away from the traditional pattern where a rising power was bound to seek hegemony. As national conditions vary from country to country, there is no such thing as a fixed mode of development which claims to be the only effective one and applicable to all. A path of development is viable only when it suits the national conditions of a country. China is fully aware that taking the path of peaceful development is an important and long-term process and that the current domestic and foreign environments are going through profound and complex changes. It will thus better summarize and apply its own successful experience, draw on the practices of other countries, and stay alert about new problems and challenges that may arise, so as to open up brighter prospects for peaceful development.

China cannot develop itself in isolation from the rest of the world, and global prosperity and stability cannot be maintained without China. China's achievements are inseparable from its friendly cooperation with the outside world. The good-neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Cambodia has set a good example of the countries with different social systems.

China and Cambodia enjoy a long history of friendship. The contacts and communications between the two peoples can be traced back to 2000 years ago. A Chinese traveler Zhou Daguan came to Cambodia in the Yuan Dynasty and recorded the thriving prosperity of Angkor Kingdom in his book Zhen La Feng Tu Ji (Notes on the Costumes of Tchen La) . The Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He stopped over in Tchen La several times during his voyages to the Western Seas and a special temple was built in his commemoration by the local people.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the profound friendship established between Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and His Majesty King Father Preah NORODOM SIHANOUK became a much-told story by the peoples far and wide. In recent years, such friendly relations have been further promoted by frequent mutual visits of leaders from both countries.

Thanks to the care and support of successive leaders and the concerted efforts of the governments and peoples of the two countries, the cooperation between China and Cambodia has yielded fruitful results in many fields, bringing real benefits to the peoples of both countries. The two sides have established political mutual trust, maintained closer high-level contacts and collaborated closely on issues involving each other’s core interests. The economic and trade cooperation has produced substantial results. The trade volume reached US$1.58 billion in the first half of 2011, up by 68.7% year on year.

The direct investment of the Chinese companies has been increased a great deal in Cambodia, which has become one of the favorite places for Chinese enterprises to make direct investment overseas.

By the end of June, 2011, China’s cumulative non-financial direct investment in Cambodia reached US$1.181 billion and the accumulative contract value of projects amounted $4.949 billion, with a turnover of $2.566 billion. The people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation have been thriving with increasing exchange of visits in the fields of culture, education, sports, social science, youth, etc.

According to statistics, the number of Cambodian students studying in China with the aid of Chinese government scholarship has reached 160 this year. In the past two years when China hosted the Olympic Games and World Expo, His Majesty Norodom Shamoni and H.E. Prime Minister Hun Sen went to Beijing and Shanghai respectively to attend the opening ceremonies. H.E. President of the Senate Chea Sim and H.E. President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin also paid visits to China and took recuperation there. All this demonstrates the profound feelings of friendship for the Chinese people and the great importance given to the bilateral ties by the Cambodian royal family, its government and its people.

Peace and development are the two major issues of today’s world. The pursuit of peace, development and cooperation is the shared aspirations of all peoples. China wishes to share with Cambodia the opportunities of peace and development and join hands in coping with the challenges. On the bases of the solid foundation of past achievements and friendly ties between the two countries, we’ll further strengthen traditional friendship to increase political mutual trust, complement each other’s economic advantages to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to promote mutual understanding, and enhance close coordination and cooperation on multilateral issues to safeguard common interests with the aim of facilitating sound and steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries. China and Cambodia will always be good neighbors, close friends, trusted partners and dear brothers.

I’m in firm belief that with the care and support from the leaders of both countries and the joint endeavors of the two peoples, the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia will be passed on from generation to generation, and the bilateral ties will gain an even promising future.

to peaceful development - promoting the building of a harmonious world and new thinking on security featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination, pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, actively living up to international responsibility and promoting regional cooperation and good-neighborly relations. China does not seek regional hegemony or sphere of influence, nor does it want to exclude any country from participating in regional cooperation. China's prosperity, development and long-term stability represent an opportunity rather than a threat to its neighbours. China will uphold the Asian spirit of standing on its own feet, being bold in opening new ground, being open and inclusive and sharing weal and woe. It will remain a good neighbour, friend and partner of other Asian countries.

China's peaceful development has broken away from the traditional pattern where a rising power was bound to seek hegemony. As national conditions vary from country to country, there is no such thing as a fixed mode of development which claims to be the only effective one and applicable to all. A path of development is viable only when it suits the national conditions of a country. China is fully aware that taking the path of peaceful development is an important and long-term process and that the current domestic and foreign environments are going through profound and complex changes. It will thus better summarise and apply its own successful experience, draw on the practices of other countries and stay alert about new problems and challenges that may arise, so as to open up brighter prospects for peaceful development.

China cannot develop itself in isolation from the rest of the world, and global prosperity and stability cannot be maintained without China. China’s achievements are inseparable from its friendly cooperation with the outside world. The good-neighbourly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Cambodia has set a good example of the countries with different social systems.

China and Cambodia enjoy a long history of friendship. The contacts and communications between the two peoples can be traced back to 2000 years ago. Chinese traveler Zhou Daguan came to Cambodia in the Yuan Dynasty and recorded the thriving prosperity of Angkor Kingdom in his book Zhen La Feng Tu Ji (Notes on the Costumes of Tchen La). The Ming Dynasty navigator Zheng He stopped over in Tchen La several times during his voyages to the Western Seas and a special temple was built in his commemoration by the local people.

After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the profound friendship established between Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and His Majesty King Father Preah Norodom Sihanouk became a much-told story by the peoples far and wide. In recent years, such friendly relations have been further promoted by frequent mutual visits of leaders from both countries.

Thanks to the care and support of successive leaders and the concerted efforts of the governments and peoples of the two countries, the cooperation between China and Cambodia has yielded fruitful results in many fields, bringing real benefits to the peoples of both countries. The two sides have established political mutual trust, maintained closer high-level contacts and collaborated closely on issues involving each other’s core interests. The economic and trade cooperation has produced substantial results. The trade volume reached US$1.58 billion in the first half of 2011, up by 68.7 per cent year on year. The direct investment of the Chinese companies has been increased a great deal in Cambodia, which has become one of the favourite places for Chinese enterprises to make direct investment overseas. By the end of June, 2011, China’s cumulative non-financial direct investment in Cambodia reached US$1.181 billion and the accumulative contract value of projects amounted to $4.949 billion, with a turnover of $2.566 billion. The people-to-people and cultural exchanges and cooperation have been thriving with increasing exchange of visits in the fields of culture, education, sports, social science, youth, etc. According to statistics, the number of Cambodian students studying in China with the aid of Chinese government scholarships has reached 160 this year.

In the past two years when China hosted the Olympic Games and World Expo, His Majesty Norodom Shamoni and HE Prime Minister Hun Sen went to Beijing and Shanghai respectively to attend the opening ceremonies. HE President of the Senate Chea Sim and HE President of the National Assembly Heng Samrin also paid visits to China and took recuperation there. All this demonstrates the profound feelings of friendship for the Chinese people and the great importance given to the bilateral ties by the Cambodian royal family, its government and its people.

Peace and development are the two major issues of today’s world. The pursuit of peace, development and cooperation is the shared aspirations of all peoples. China wishes to share with Cambodia the opportunities of peace and development and join hands in coping with the challenges. On the basis of the solid foundation of past achievements and friendly ties between the two countries, we’ll further strengthen traditional friendship to increase political mutual trust, complement each other’s economic advantages to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, expand people-to-people and cultural exchanges to promote mutual understanding, and enhance close coordination and cooperation on multilateral issues to safeguard common interests with the aim of facilitating sound and steady development of the comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation between the two countries.

China and Cambodia will always be good neighbours, close friends, trusted partners and dear brothers.

I’m in firm belief that with the care and support from the leaders of both countries and the joint endeavors of the two peoples, the traditional friendship between China and Cambodia will be passed on from generation to generation, and the bilateral ties will gain an even promising future

^^^ This is my first time seeing Pan guangxue with a khmer outfit on lolz! he looks nice with it lolz! not only does the Khmer people in Camboda have China's back but the Khmer in America also!

Ice sculptors from China in Phnom Penh
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 DON WEINLAND
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Chinese ice sculptures in Phnom Penh by sculptors from Harbin, China.


I am quite amaze it is still open, about a year ago, it said it will open for 6 months, starting at the water festival.

I visit the ice sculpture exhibition early this year, and there are hardly anyone inside, unless the number of visitor did greatly increase, the exhibition has to loose heaps of money.

On the other hand I want to see growing number of investments from Korea and Japan.

In recent years the Chinese firms are dominated with the investments here in Cambodia after the Koreans left in 2008.

On the other hand I want to see growing number of investments from Korea and Japan.

In recent years the Chinese firms are dominated with the investments here in Cambodia after the Koreans left in 2008.

^^I honestly don't care about koreans or Japan! Cambodia only needs China and only China! The thing you need to know about khmer people is the fact that Korea and Japan are like countries that they never even heard of! They are not familiar with their culture and people! mention China, the word Mao, Deng xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, the great leap forward, cultural revolution, and 5,000 years of Chinese culture pops up in their heads! I honestly think Cambodia needs more investment from China! By more I mean MORE!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

Air traffic growth between Cambodia and China mirrors development
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER


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Jimmy Gao, second from left, joins Yum Sui Sang, third from left, on a visit in May this year to the town of Wenchuan, in Sichuan province, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2008. The visit was organised by the Overseas Chinese Office of the State Council of China, together with Mr Yum.
State-owned carriers evolve into commercial airlines

Oneof the best-connected citizens of China living in Cambodia is Jimmy Gao, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia – an organisation that has very strong relations with the Chinese embassy.

In the Chinese language, the term “guangxi’’ means “relationships’’, and Gao is one of the people who has a lot of guangxi in both Cambodia and in China – and that can be helpful for people who want to do business with Chinese partners.

Gao was born in Shanghai in 1967, and his father served as an officer in the Chinese air force. Gao often visits his father these days in Shanghai, and “I let him drive my BMW,” he laughs.

Gao graduated from Shanghai University in 1988 with a degree in English and specialising in foreign trade.

Back in the 1980s, domestic aviation in China was run by a big state company called CAAC. Over the years since then, a number of regional airlines have been created including China Southern, China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and many more.

Gao went to work for Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, Cathay Pacific, in its Shanghai office and later became a Dragonair staffer when Cathay Pacific became its parent company.

He worked there for six years, learning the commercial aviation business.

One of Gao’s colleagues at Dragonair was sent to Phnom Penh in 1993 as a Dragonair representative.

“He told me, ‘Why not come to Phnom Penh to have a look?’ because there weren’t many travel agents here.

“He suggested we could promote Dragonair’s business here because they had an inaugural flight coming up.”

Gao arrived in 1993, working closely with Dragonair, and realised that Cambodia was a good opportunity, especially for a travel agency.

“At the time, they didn’t have much sense of a comprehensive industry, but were just focused on airline ticketing,” he says.

At the time, there weren’t many Chinese companies in Cambodia, and most of the flights from China terminated at Bangkok.

“I had to find the easiest ways for travelling and to build up relations, especially with the sales agents for those Chinese carriers who had their scheduled flights into Bangkok,” Gao says.

The challenge was to get developing Chinese airlines such as China Eastern and China Southern to start flying to Phnom Penh directly from China.

Dragonair was running two flights a week from Phnom Penh to Hong Kong.

“At the time, Hong Kong was one of the transit points back to China from Phnom Penh,” Gao says.

At first, people didn’t know about Cambodia, only King Sihanouk, land mines and war

As a result of Gao’s efforts, Guangzhou-based China Southern became the first Chinese airline to have charter flights to Phnom Penh, beginning in 1998.

Two years later, Shanghai Airlines, which was owned by the Shanghai municipal government, approached Gao and, following negotiations with China Eastern Airlines, Shanghai Airlines won exclusive traffic rights from Shanghai to Phnom Penh.

“I became the representat-ive for Shanghai Airlines in Cambodia for all their routes, to promote the sales for them and to deal with the civil aviation authorities in Cambodia and increase their traffic rights,” he says.

Today, Shanghai Airlines operates daily flights between Phnom Penh and Shanghai, just four hours non-stop. China Southern operates 10 flights a week from Phnom Penh to Guangzhou.

China Eastern operates flights to Guangxi Province’s capital city, Nanning, and Yunnan province’s capital, Kunming, three times a week from Phnom Penh.

Concurrent with his work getting outbound travellers on flights to China, Gao had a big job helping Chinese people understand Cambodia.

“At first, people didn’t know about Cambodia, only King Sihanouk, land mines and war – that’s all they knew.

“ When you want to deal with airlines in China, to push those airlines to have direct flights between China and Cambodia – they were full of worries and they couldn’t believe you could survive.

“ I had to try very hard to convince them, but the demand was really growing.”

During the mid-1990s, China’s state-owned enterprises began getting some big construction projects financed by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, for roads and bridges.

During this time, garment factories also started to spring up, bringing in experienced factory managers from China. This helped fill the aircraft.

“By the end of 1999, something like 300 garment factor-ies were operating, and they had a lot of Chinese supervisors,” Gao says.

Starting in the 1980s, it was the first time many Chinese people went on overseas trips, usually classing themselves as students but actually coming to work.

“By the end of the 1990s, I think, it became the peak time for business. Chinese people really started to go overseas for business,” Gao says.

His secret to success in getting Chinese state-owned airlines to come to Cambodia was convincing them to start out with a few charter flights first. Once they got here, they were hooked.

During the course of his activities, Gao also became involved with the Chinese business community.

“At the beginning, there was a Chinese business association under the Chinese embassy, since 1995.

‘‘At the time, I wasn’t even a member, but I had a lot of contacts with Chinese companies there, so I made a lot of friends.

“Most of their committee members were my good friends, and they wanted to expand to become a chamber of commerce. I was invited to become a standing committee member, and it was quite good for my business.”

Gao’s travel agency, Transpeed Travel (Holdings) Ltd. has offices in the Phnom Penh Hotel complex and has been highly successful over the years, especially bringing Hong Kong people on package tours to Cambodia in associat-ion with Hong Kong partners Hong Tai and Wing On travel.

In addition to his presidency of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, Gao also is publisher of the Chinese-language Phnom Penh Evening Post, and owner of a number of other businesses including two hotels, three restaurants and one of the most famous Chinese restaurants in Phnom Penh, Le Palace, as well as representating both Shanghai Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines.

Gao also owns Union Engineering Machinery Leasing, which leases construction equipment brand names from China, largely to Chinese construction projects around Cambodia.

Gao is also involved in the agriculture business, growing both cassava and rubber on a plantation of about 10,000 hectares in Banteay Meanchey province.

“More and more Chinese investors are coming to Cambodia to look for opportunities and to study the agriculture industry for the growing of cassava, rice, rubber, and other products,” Gao says.

“We sell package tours in Hong Kong and for the past ten years we have brought between 500 and 1,000 tourists to Phnom Penh from Hong Kong every month,” Gao said.

By the end of 2000, Gao was made president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia, a chamber which is perhaps the closest to the Chinese embassy, followed by the China Hong Kong and Macau Expatriate & Business Association of Cambodia

and the Cambodian Chinese Association, headed by Duong Chhiv.

In order to understand the membership of the associat-ions, it breaks down roughly like this: Gao’s Chinese Chamber has a lot of members from the mainland in construction, manufacturing, airlines and they are company members numbering about 300. The China Hong Kong and Macau group is more comprised of people from Hong Kong and Macau with a lot of sharp overseas Chinese businessmen and factory owners and his headed by Mr Yum of the Union Commercial Bank.

The Cambodian Chinese Association, however, headed by Duong Chhiv, represents a lot of the second- and third-generation Chinese people who have Cambodian nationality and whose ancestors come mostly from southern China, places like Guangdong and Fujian provinces.

All three associations are recognised by the Chinese embassy, Gao says.

Gao says there are about 50,000 Chinese people in Cambodia, holding Chinese passports.

“We think that number will grow,” he says.

Ethnic Chinese people in Cambodia, however, Khmer Chinese, number an estimated 700,000, up to a possible million, Gao says.

“The relationships between the young immigrants and the older generation, we have very good relations,’’ he says.

“The Chinese community in Cambodia is the best in the world.

“Most of the members of our association have been in Cambodia for a long time and we love this country very much. For Chinese people making investments in Cambodia, this is not such a strange atmosphere. It is quite easy for Chinese people here, very comfortable. I think also nowadays the whole world is getting less and less distance; it is also very easy for Chinese people to come to Cambodia.

Gao says in many cases the Chinese father’s generation came to Cambodia to escape wars and find a better life.

“Nowadays, with Chinese businessmen, it is totally different. Now we come for business opportunities, for win-win factors.

“We come for Cambodia for business benefits, and the most important thing we have to know is how to respect the Cambodian people.

“Making money isn’t the only issue; you also have to respect Cambodia’s culture.

“Sometimes I have met some friends coming for the first time to Cambodia, they thought it was very poor here, but after they visit Angkor Wat, they change their mind and understand how great it is.

“It becomes a responsibility for us who make our business here to let the people in China recognise the great cultural traditions of Cambodia. We are proud to do this.”

These days, Gao keeps a family home in Shanghai and flies there as many as 20 times a year to see his father and stay in close touch with his favorite Chinese city – and his home town.


^^damn only 1 million! We need more than that! we need at least 10-20 million! :cheers::cheers:

Sisters revive classic French colonial building to honour the family history
FRIDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER
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SISTERHOOD OF SERVICE: The Van sisters stand in what used to be the Indochina Bank. Photo by: Stuart Alan Becker

The youngest of the Van sisters, Porlim and Porleng, have restored the rooms where they used to frolic as little Khmer-Chinese girls while their father ran a large family business including the famous Chip Tong sandal factory, as well as dyeing factories, garment manufacturing and paint factories.

During the ’60s, their father was one of the most successful Khmer-Chinese industrialists in Phnom Penh.

“In 1965 my father bought the Indochina Bank building. The first Indochina Bank was in Hanoi, so they had decided to open branches in Phnom Penh and also in Battambang.”

The sisters remember living on the first floor. Now they enjoy running a fine French restaurant in their former childhood home.

“This was my father’s office for all of his businesses,” Porleng Van said.

The sisters left Cambodia in 1970 and lived in Hong Kong, Singapore and France.

“During the Khmer Rouge period, the building was well protected and preserved and we heard they kept gold and munitions here,” Van said.

“After the Khmer Rouge, it became the Rural Bank of Cambodia and we got it back in 2003,” she said.

While renovations were underway at the building, Van visited the south of France Aix en Provences where the national archives of all the French colonies is located and she did research on the correspondence between the governor of the Indochina Bank at the time and head office.

She found out many interesting things like a big drama when all the lettres d’ordre (cheques) were stolen.

Many of the guests who come to Van’s Restaurant today already know some of the history.

“They want to be in the building and they want to be in the history,” Van said.

The building has been short listed in UNESCO world heritage site for renovation challenge.

Some of the original glass remains and the mosaic floor has survived and is a main attraction for guests.

Van’s has French Chef called Nicolas Malherbe, from the south of France near Perpignan.

“We propose traditional authentic French food,” Van said.

“We have some new creations from Nicolas who likes to combine local ingredients like passion fruit mixed with scallops. He uses Kampot pepper and sugar from the sugar palm.

“In general we can say we are authentic French food, but with some new inventions.”

Van’s is known for a romantic atmosphere, a favourite for couples and always full on Valentine’s Day.

“Upstairs we have a terrace and a private room. We have clients book upstairs with tete a tete dinner.”

There’s a minimum charge of $100 to use the upstairs private dining room.

Van’s opens every day at 11:30am and serves lunch until 2pm. For dinner the hours are from 5pm until 10:30pm.

Van’s has an all-inclusive lunch special for $15 including one starter, one main course, one glass of wine and coffee. There is also a special week on the first Friday of every month in which new menu is added with specific theme such as beef, lamb, veal or seafood.

Some of the tastiest items include Terrine de Foie Gras as a starter and classic French onion soup.

Among other dishes, Porleng Van recommends the lamb chops as well as the tenderloin with coffee grain and Kampot pepper.

For dessert there’s the soufflé Grand Mariner as well as ice cream and sorbet and “all are home made, included pasta and bread .

The Van sisters have about 30 employees and as far as service goes, Porleng recommends kindness in the treatment of staff and always correcting and taking the time to explain to what they have done wrong – not by shouting – but by making sure they understand.

While sister Porleng is the “public face” of Van’s, serving as President of the Cambodia Restaurants Association, sister Porlim takes care of the finance.

“In general the people in Cambodia are very kind. You need to understand the local way of thinking to adapt and when you know how they think, you can help them improve. If you keep on saying something that they don’t catch, it is worthless. If you can realize what they don’t understand, then you open a door to communication.”

“People in service are innocent in general ,” Van said.

“They want to do the right thing, and they don’t have enough knowledge. When they know they did something wrong, they are scared.”

As far as the treatment of guests goes, Van asks her staff to pay attention to the client, but respect their privacy.

“It depends on the nationality of the client, how we brief our staff, when you see Cambodian people, you need to pay more attention and when you see foreigner, you need to respect privacy. With Chinese you need to be very attentive.”

Van’s approach is that of welcoming guests to their own home, which it was when they were little girls.

“This is our home and we want people to feel they are in their own home like the way we do. The taste of our food is very authentic ;the way of receiving the client is very international. We have the culture of Chinese, we know how they behave; we know how the French and the Cambodians behave and so this is an advantage that we have,” Van said.

“I will say that we are the only ones who has a strong sentimental attachment to this place, not only for its historical architecture preservation and the pleasure of the traditional French food, but also for our family’s past.”


^^I'm soo proud that the ethnic oversea Khmer-Chinese are coming back to help the country! I wish all of them return back to the country and help build it together! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^I honestly don't care about koreans or Japan! Cambodia only needs China and only China! The thing you need to know about khmer people is the fact that Korea and Japan are like countries that they never even heard of! Why does it even matter?

The Korean themselve doesn't even know their past. They think every great man ever lived is Korean.

They are not familiar with their culture and people! mention China, the word Mao, Deng xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, the great leap forward, cultural revolution, and 5,000 years of Chinese culture pops up in their heads! Only because there are massive migration from China into Cambodia in the first half of last century.

I am Chinese, and I don't even care about Mao, Deng, etc. And I believe the current young generation, the baby boomer, doesn't know about all these.

I honestly think Cambodia needs more investment from China! By more I mean MORE!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers: I think we should have investment from everywhere.

Why does it even matter?

The Korean themselve doesn't even know their past. They think every great man ever lived is Korean.

Only because there are massive migration from China into Cambodia in the first half of last century.

I am Chinese, and I don't even care about Mao, Deng, etc. And I believe the current young generation, the baby boomer, doesn't know about all these.

I think we should have investment from everywhere.


^^^i wish there will be another mass migration to Cambodia in the future! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

I wish I can open a restaurant call Cambo-china Restaurant :) joking!
Thanks for the info!

I wish I can open a restaurant call Cambo-china Restaurant :) joking!
Thanks for the info!

^^every chinese are welcome here in Cambodia:) We let you do anything here! you guys can even own land:) Chinese are the main characters in Cambodia! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

^^every chinese are welcome here in Cambodia:) We let you do anything here! you guys can even own land:) Chinese are the main characters in Cambodia! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

Do you guy really really trust Chinese?
You guy will let them do anything in your country? don't forget law
Be careful,may chinese is good to help your country develop,but don't let them "overwhelm" your country!

about investment,i think korean and japanese investment are much more quality than china investment.
yes,in my country,it seem that all chinese investment have problem,go wrong. Any project was constructed by chinese constructor has super slow speed,many accident.

Do you guy really really trust Chinese?
You guy will let them do anything in your country? don't forget law
Be careful,may chinese is good to help your country develop,but don't let them "overwhelm" your country!

about investment,i think korean and japanese investment are much more quality than china investment.
yes,in my country,it seem that all chinese investment have problem,go wrong. Any project was constructed by chinese constructor has super slow speed,many accident.

Chinese is not the only one that has Tufu-dreg Construction, and those are mostly private contractors taken advantage of cheap rubbish construction materials etc.

But no matter who is doing it, the construction methods and quality need to be closely monitor, but seriously, do Cambodia have the expert in the quality assurance field.

Do you guy really really trust Chinese?
You guy will let them do anything in your country? don't forget law
Be careful,may chinese is good to help your country develop,but don't let them "overwhelm" your country!

about investment,i think korean and japanese investment are much more quality than china investment.
yes,in my country,it seem that all chinese investment have problem,go wrong. Any project was constructed by chinese constructor has super slow speed,many accident.

^^your country is your country my country is my country! different rules and different systems!

On the other hand I want to see growing number of investments from Korea and Japan.

In recent years the Chinese firms are dominated with the investments here in Cambodia after the Koreans left in 2008.

So do I, especially from Japan so that JAL can have scheduled direct flight to Cambodia soon.

^^every chinese are welcome here in Cambodia:) We let you do anything here! you guys can even own land:) Chinese are the main characters in Cambodia! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

I heard the guy that got banned from here said that too.

I heard the guy that got banned from here said that too.

:nuts:Angkorian123:nuts: IS BACK ???????

:nuts:Angkorian123:nuts: IS BACK ???????

^stop being off topic! this about chinese mainlanders in our country! :bash:

^^I honestly don't care about koreans or Japan! Cambodia only needs China and only China! The thing you need to know about khmer people is the fact that Korea and Japan are like countries that they never even heard of! They are not familiar with their culture and people! mention China, the word Mao, Deng xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, the great leap forward, cultural revolution, and 5,000 years of Chinese culture pops up in their heads! I honestly think Cambodia needs more investment from China! By more I mean MORE!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers:

:lol::lol::lol:
Diversification in investment is very important to avoid the overpower of the investment-origin country to your own country. Thus, your Gov will still have bigger power and value in front of the investors.

Will you rent all of your piece of land just to one person? Or to many persons?
I exactly will rent to many, since I'll still have more power to control each of them. If one of them try to do dirty things to oppose us, it will be relatively easy to kick him out, and we still have many other left, so our economy won't be that much affected.

Just my 2 cents.

seemacau please delete the comments that not related to the topic!

seemacau please delete the comments that not related to the topic! you should not be emotional about having people mistaken you as someone you don't know. you shouldn't feel pissed if you are not Angorian123.

:lol::lol::lol:
Diversification in investment is very important to avoid the overpower of the investment-origin country to your own country. Thus, your Gov will still have bigger power and value in front of the investors.

Will you rent all of your piece of land just to one person? Or to many persons?
I exactly will rent to many, since I'll still have more power to control each of them. If one of them try to do dirty things to oppose us, it will be relatively easy to kick him out, and we still have many other left, so our economy won't be that much affected.

Just my 2 cents.

That's exactly right, we can refer this to Korean developers dominate the real estate developments in Phnom Penh before 2008 and after they left, the market has not been active until this year

seemacau please delete the comments that not related to the topic!

I don't know who you are to be honest, but I don't want to receive any complaints from other forumers again like what they did to Angkor123

Ok, let's move back to the topic :)

A woman who follows her dreams
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER
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Photo by: Stuart Alan Becker
Eva Cheng.

One Chinese lady in Phnom Penh who has done well for herself is Eva Chen, sales and marketing manager at Campubank Lonpac Insurance, in the Campu Bank Building.

Chen was born in the city of Xuan Cheng, in Anhui province, in 1980. Her father was a financial officer in the government and her mother a teacher in public schools.
Like many of her generation, she is an only child.

Following an education in “typical Chinese public schools”, Chen enrolled in Anhui University as an English major and graduated in 2002.

“I wasn’t a hard-working student, but my family was very open-minded and we talked a lot to each other,” she says of those days.

During the course of her English studies, Chen discovered a Chinese lady writer from Taiwan called Sun Mao, also known as Echo.

“She had travelled to about 20 countries, spending most of her life travelling, and found a German husband, but he died scuba diving.

I really admired this lady because she was travelling so much,” Chen says.

Sun Mao became an inspiration for Chen, who also felt like an unconventional person.

“I grew up with all her books,’’ Chen says. “She is similar to me, because when I was young I didn’t like science; I liked arts and language. She was like that.

“In China and Taiwan, you need to be good at everything so you will be admitted to a good university. You can’t be good at just one thing.

“Especially in China, when you go to university you have to pass a very tough entrance exam. You have to be good at everything.

“Echo hated that, and so did I, because I really didn’t like maths and physics and all that. I wanted to become like her one day.”

Chen loved talking to foreigners during her Anhui University years, and never hesitated to do so.

“One American friend at university told me she was really quite surprised that I had come up to her and talked to her. She said I wasn’t like millions of other Chinese.’’

The American woman, who was an English teacher at an international school, admired Chen because she went out of her way to communicate and made her feel welcome. Chen also worked part-time for the school.

As a result of such successful personal interactions, Chen was recommended for a job at the TCL company, China’s largest producer of mobile telephones.

Even though she should have been happy to have the job, she knew it might not be the right thing for her in the long term.

“At that time, I didn’t like the system and it wasn’t the life I wanted – to go to university, then work for some big company – but I knew I must comply and survive,’’ she says.

“But in my heart, I was telling myself, ‘This is not the life I wanted’, that one day I would pursue my dream when the time came.

“ When I graduated, I didn’t want to depend on my parents for financial support.’’

During her time at TCL, Chen found an announcement about jobs outside China, choosing between South Africa and Cambodia.

She arrived in Cambodia to work for a Chinese joint venture with Cambodia, but I left the company after only a month and went to work for a Singapore company she liked.

It wasn’t easy making the transition, but Chen persevered. “They needed some salespeople and they told me they wanted Cambodians, so I went there every day,’’ she says.

Chen found the name of the sales manager and caught her walking out of the office. Chen asked for a few minutes of the sales manager’s time and told her she really wanted the job. Her pitch hit the right chord.

“She was touched, and talked to the managing director, and said: ‘When she comes, I will ask her to see you.’ So I was waiting, and finally the MD came to Cambodia.”

Chen worked for the Singapore company from 2003 to 2007 and did the very best she could for her new employer. At the same time, she studied the insurance business and gained a certificate in that field.

During that time, Chen met her husband Cao, who is also Chinese but from Hebei province. He runs his own trading business in Cambodia.

Chen and Cao were married in May this year, with one wedding his Cao’s home town and one in Chen’s.

Now in the fullness of time, having travelled around the ASEAN countries, Chen feels as though she has become more like the Chinese lady writer Echo who inspired her all those years ago.

“I have been travelling around ASEAN countries these few years and have built up my network here.

“I have kind of achieved my dream when I was little to travel and see the different parts of the world and see the different people,” she said.

Chen loves living in Cambodia and acknowledges it is very different from China.

“Cambodia is very different from China, not very developed and with very simple relationships between people who work together.

“In China, the competition is very fierce, everything is expensive and a lot of people complain, but Cambodia is much happier.

“It’s very easy for expats to make friends in Cambodia – everybody is eager to make friends. People are very cool in China; they don’t want to talk to people.’’

After four years in her job at Campubank Lonpac Insurance, Chen is busy, loves what she does, and is obviously good at it.

“We have general insurance, property, liability, marine and car and other kinds of insurances. We have a lot of individual customers, and loans have to have insurance too,” she says.

“People come to us because of the brand. We are building up the brand.”

Chen is proud to have helped build up the company from four people when she started to 29 today.

“Cambodia Public Bank is a very well-run company and the largest bank in Malaysia,” she says.

Regarding her thoughts about her homeland of China, Chen remembers dreaming of travel when she was a little girl. “Now my outlook has changed,” she says.

“My dream is to go back to China to contribute whatever I have in my professional experience and teach other people.

“I would like to go back one day to groom the young insurance people of China and tell them what to do. This is more like work within the insurance profession.

“I would like to change people’s minds through my efforts. This is my passion for my country.

“Chinese people are open-minded. China is going to change for the better. The young people are more open minded, and there are millions of Chinese going abroad every year.

“They also change and learn the good things, then go back and influence the people at home.

“Let the people in English-speaking countries know about the young generation in China.

“We welcome people going to China, and we also would like to improve ourselves.”

Renminbi remittances coming to Cambodia by the end of this year
FRIDAY, 30 SEPTEMBER 2011 12:01 STUART ALAN BECKER

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Yum Sui Sang, right, toasts one of the VIP members at the association’s annual party.
Mr. Yum Sui Sang, CEO of Union Commercial Bank, says UCB will enable customers to easily send money to China through remittances in Renminbi, the Chinese currency, in the next few months.
“We are planning to start our Renminbi remittance business by the end of the year,” Yum said.

Yum took time for an interview at the mid-Autumn festival celebration of The China Hong Kong & Macau Expatriate & Business Association of Cambodia at Diamond Island on Sept. 11, attended by Chinese Ambassador Mr. Pan Guangxue and many VIP association members, many of whom are factory owners Chinese businessmen. Yum serves as chairman of the Hong Kong and Macau Association.

Also on hand was a representative of the world’s largest bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) which posted assets of US $1.9 trillion as of March, 2010. Yum and UCB are working with ICBC and the China Development Bank (CDB) to facilitate the Renminbi remittance services.

“I think Cambodia has a very promising future due to, first, a stable political situation and second, an open market policy – and that is very important. There is no foreign exchange control and that is very important. The government is planning to attract more foreign investment. We expect that in the coming months everything is going up,” Yum says.

“With the situation of Cambodia and I am looking forward that within five years Cambodia must have a very good future. Among the ASEAN countries, Cambodia has very free speech, not too much playing politics and you can enjoy it when you come here,” he said.

Yum is 73 and a father of three. He is joined in Cambodia by his son Simon, who also works at UCB. His younger daughter lives in Hong Kong and works for Ocean Park, and his eldest son lives and works in San Francisco.

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Unity in song: Chinese ambassador Pan Guangxue, centre, joins the heartfelt singing. About 60 per cent of the members of Yum’s association are factory owners who came from the freewheeling atmosphere of Hong Kong and Macau.

“China is getting a lot of benefit from Hong Kong,” Yum says.

“It was the combination of East and West that made Hong Kong people very flexible and indust-rious. Years ago, people were scared of communist China, but after the return of Hong Kong and Macau to China, people understand they are playing by one country, two systems.’’

Yum is particularly proud of UCB’s Olympic branch, which opened only last November and is already UCB’s busiest branch. UCB employs more than 200 people and, according to Yum, is now searching for a suitable location for a new UCB branch in Phnom Penh. “We are professional bankers,” Yum says. “We are very flexible. If you make money, we make money.”

Chinese language schools mushrooming in Cambodia



English.news.cn (http://english.news.cn/) 2011-10-05 17:59:02
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodia's senior education official said Wednesday that Chinese language schools have been mushrooming throughout Cambodia and the language becomes the second most popular foreign one in the country after English.
"I observe that more and more Cambodian children flock to study Chinese language nowadays," Chey Chab, secretary of state for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, said Wednesday during the inauguration of the Beijing International Academy (BIA) in Phnom Penh.
"I see that Chinese language has been broadly used internationally now and it looks more important, especially among business communities," he said.
Chab said that in Cambodia, the language has gradually been gaining popularity as China is the country's largest investor and a leading trade partner with Cambodia.
According to the Chinese Association in Cambodia, there are 56 Chinese schools with more than 30,000 students throughout Cambodia. The figure does not include local private schools that offer part- time Chinese language courses.
Diana Liu, the BIA's director, said the BIA was the first academy in Cambodia that offered Chinese and English programs with complete combined programs including arts, cultures, sciences, music, dance and martial arts.
"We are committed to building an excellent quality of Chinese and English education in the country," she said. "Our presence here will also help the government of Cambodia to develop human resources."

Yes, it is very important to learn a language other then Khmer, with so much foreign investment, it is important to know at least 1 of the 2 most popular language. Mandarin and English.

Khmer language is useless as soon as you leave the airport.

Yes, it is very important to learn a language other then Khmer, with so much foreign investment, it is important to know at least 1 of the 2 most popular language. Mandarin and English.

Khmer language is useless as soon as you leave the airport.

^^ I agree with you 500% Khmer language is just not important at all unless you are in Cambodia but now Chinese is becoming more and more popular and a must learn language! :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

Yes, it is very important to learn a language other then Khmer, with so much foreign investment, it is important to know at least 1 of the 2 most popular language. Mandarin and English.

Khmer language is useless as soon as you leave the airport.

Wait a minute, which airport? Phnom Penh International? Leaving which way? Is it on land? If these are what mean, you are really ignorant. Khmer is the main language used in Cambodia outside the airport.

I agree though that each Cambodia, if he/she can, should learn one of the languages that you mentioned. But, I still think that English is the most important second language to Cambodians. Look at Singapore, in where 90% or more of Chinese live, still uses English as the "main language". If Cambodians want to do business with the world, they should learn English.

Wait a minute, which airport? Phnom Penh International? Leaving which way? Is it on land? If these are what mean, you are really ignorant. Khmer is the main language used in Cambodia outside the airport.

I agree though that each Cambodia, if he/she can, should learn one of the languages that you mentioned. But, I still think that English is the most important second language to Cambodians. Look at Singapore, in where 90% or more of Chinese live, still uses English as the "main language". If Cambodians want to do business with the world, they should learn English.

^^i think they should learn both English and Chinese! Even I don't speak Khmer because i think it's pretty useless!

^^i think they should learn both English and Chinese! Even I don't speak Khmer because i think it's pretty useless!

1000% YOU ARE :bash:ANGKORIAN123:bash:

1000% YOU ARE :bash:ANGKORIAN123:bash:

^^ Stop being off topic! Seemacau please ban this guy! he's causing trouble!

LOL. what's going on with Angkorian123? Is he really a bad guy? So better he behaves this time.

back to topic.

Wait a minute, which airport? Phnom Penh International? Leaving which way? although my response isn't too clear, isn't "which way" very dam obvious in the context, leave airport as in leave Cambodia. via the land into Vietnam of Thailand might be a bit different, as the people on the border tends to be bilingual.

I agree though that each Cambodia, if he/she can, should learn one of the languages that you mentioned. But, I still think that English is the most important second language to Cambodians. English is indeed the most important and useful language in the world, it is important for Khmer to learn English, but with the raise of China, and so many locals that has a Chinese roots, Chinese starts to get important.

Look at Singapore, in where 90% or more of Chinese live, still uses English as the "main language". If Cambodians want to do business with the world, they should learn English.

99% of Chinese live in China.

Only about 75% of Singaporian are Chinese, the rest are malay, indian, and others. Singapore does not have their own language (Singish doesn't count). They got to have a official language, I believe Britian ruled it so it is natural to use English as official language.

You will also find their "main lanuguage" has casued lots of Chinese can't speak Chinese at all, if you want Khmer to speaks good english, the class has to be conduct in English, they need to use English everyday, we got a long way to go, but if you use Singapore as a model, you risk the locals lose thier ability to speaks Khmer.

^^i think they should learn both English and Chinese! Even I don't speak Khmer because i think it's pretty useless!

you don't have a location in your profile, where do you live?
are you Chinese, American, Khmer, or something else.

you don't have a location in your profile, where do you live?
are you Chinese, American, Khmer, or something else.

^^that is not important! i think khmer language is useless by no means unless you are using it to communicate with your parent or in Cambodia! :cheers:

^^that is not important! i think khmer language is useless by no means unless you are using it to communicate with your parent or in Cambodia! :cheers:

it is important, if you are outside Cambodia, I agree Khmer language is useless, but if you live in Cambodia, (and this is after all a sub-forum about Cambodia), it is quite rude to say Khmer is useless.

it is important, if you are outside Cambodia, I agree Khmer language is useless, but if you live in Cambodia, (and this is after all a sub-forum about Cambodia), it is quite rude to say Khmer is useless.

^^I'm from Boston!

i want seemacau to delete unnecessary comments that not related to this topic! No trolls please!

^^ hey how did you manage 142 posts you appeared just the other day???

^^ hey how did you manage 142 posts you appeared just the other day???

^^i'm not a troll! :ohno::ohno:

^^every chinese are welcome here in Cambodia:) We let you do anything here! you guys can even own land:) Chinese are the main characters in Cambodia! :cheers::cheers::cheers:


:ohno::bash::bash::ohno:

You sound like this crazy guy Angkorian123 who was banned for being racist and offensive. This thread is becoming quite offensive in a way too

:ohno::ohno::bash:

^^ I agree with you 500% Khmer language is just not important at all unless you are in Cambodia but now Chinese is becoming more and more popular and a must learn language! :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

:ohno:
You sound racist. All languages are important! As long as there are different people on this Earth or in Cambodia, all languages are important!:bash:

^^that is not important! i think khmer language is useless by no means unless you are using it to communicate with your parent or in Cambodia! :cheers:

Geez . . .
Useless?
Who makes a language important? The language itself or the users aka the speakers? For real Cambodians, of course Khmer language is important.

This is so nonsense. You are rude yourself, this stupid comment is the one worth to be deleted.

^^i'm not a troll! :ohno::ohno:

Man, you are here for 2 weeks, and you make so many enemy already.

Man, you are here for 2 weeks, and you make so many enemy already.

^^you guys are trying to gang up on me! i just made one bad comment and you guys are trying to make it worst! I'm pretty sure there are trolls here too but you guys only pick me! :bash::bash::bash:

Geez . . .
Useless?
Who makes a language important? The language itself or the users aka the speakers? For real Cambodians, of course Khmer language is important.

This is so nonsense. You are rude yourself, this stupid comment is the one worth to be deleted.

^^that is why I said delete all the stupid comments including mine!

^^i think they should learn both English and Chinese! Even I don't speak Khmer because i think it's pretty useless!

If you were not Cambodian, you would not speak Khmer. It is normal. But, a language is not useless. It is a part of humanity.

If you were not Cambodian, you would not speak Khmer. It is normal. But, a language is not useless. It is a part of humanity.

^^ok dude you win! congrats! :cheers::cheers:

although my response isn't too clear, isn't "which way" very dam obvious in the context, leave airport as in leave Cambodia. via the land into Vietnam of Thailand might be a bit different, as the people on the border tends to be bilingual.

English is indeed the most important and useful language in the world, it is important for Khmer to learn English, but with the raise of China, and so many locals that has a Chinese roots, Chinese starts to get important.



99% of Chinese live in China.

Only about 75% of Singaporian are Chinese, the rest are malay, indian, and others. Singapore does not have their own language (Singish doesn't count). They got to have a official language, I believe Britian ruled it so it is natural to use English as official language.

You will also find their "main lanuguage" has casued lots of Chinese can't speak Chinese at all, if you want Khmer to speaks good english, the class has to be conduct in English, they need to use English everyday, we got a long way to go, but if you use Singapore as a model, you risk the locals lose thier ability to speaks Khmer.

It is not obvious at all to say "as soon as you leave the airport" without having explicitly addressed which way - in bound or out bound in the same sentence. It could mean that you collect your check-in stuffs and walk out the airport and get a taxi or whatever and go to town. You could also mean that you are getting on the plane and fly out the country. So, people on the other end of the conversation online would take either way. They may think that saying Khmer language is useless is very offensive and rude - at least to me anyway.

By the way, Cambodia can never be or will never be like Singapore. Khmer is still the main language in the land. However, what I meant is that Cambodians should learn a second language like English if they want to do business with world. The Singapore stuff was just to say that English is more important than Chinese in the region.

^^ok dude you win! congrats! :cheers::cheers:

Win what?

it is important, if you are outside Cambodia, I agree Khmer language is useless, but if you live in Cambodia, (and this is after all a sub-forum about Cambodia), it is quite rude to say Khmer is useless.

So, you understand that too - " quite rude" after having said it yourself a few posts earlier.

^^i'm not a troll! :ohno::ohno:

He did not say that you were a troll. Unless you are really one of the trolls, you'd not need to be worried.

^^you guys are trying to gang up on me! i just made one bad comment and you guys are trying to make it worst! I'm pretty sure there are trolls here too but you guys only pick me! :bash::bash::bash:

What you are saying is the admit that you are one of them.

It is not obvious at all to say "as soon as you leave the airport" without having explicitly addressed which way - in bound or out bound in the same sentence.

Sorry for not been too clear, but if I meant your way, shouldn't I just say it is useless everywhere.

So, you understand that too - " quite rude" after having said it yourself a few posts earlier.

I apologise, but the remarks actually comes from many of the Khmers I know. That is has no real use, as soon as you leave Cambodia.

I apologise, but the remarks actually comes from many of the Khmers I know. That is has no real use, as soon as you leave Cambodia.

Come on, mrfusion, no need to say sorry. Sometimes you mean thing different when you say it, but online it would mean something else. We all experience that. All we need is to try to make sure it is understood when we write thing online.

LOL. what's going on with Angkorian123? Is he really a bad guy? So better he behaves this time.

back to topic.

I don't no why he got banned and I don't know much about him but I always see that he sometimes disturbing sometimes and he said that he is chinese not cambodin or something.

And to the language , I think every Language is importent in his way.But the most importent language for buisness or in the foreign countries today is English and Chinese.

And to the language , I think every Language is importent in his way.But the most importent language for buisness or in the foreign countries today is English and Chinese.

If you do business with Chinese people, mostly in China and South East Asia (even though its official language is English), yes, Chinese is important. But, if you do business with the world, then English is more important. If you go to America from Mexico down, Spanish is even more improtant, except in Brazil.

If you go to America from Mexico down, Spanish is even more improtant, except in Brazil.

While these countries speaks Spanish, when they want to trade with the rest of the world, they also learn have learned the importance of English, so at the mean time, English still works very well to trade with them.