On July 7, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet attended the opening of the upgraded Skun–Kampong Cham city section of National Road 7. In his address, he stressed that the close friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and China would not end with the project’s completion, and that practical cooperation would continue to deepen for the development and wellbeing of both countries.
Hun Manet said Cambodia’s infrastructure achievements benefited from decisions made by previous governments led by Senate President Hun Sen. The report said the road section’s groundbreaking had been jointly attended by Hun Sen and the then-Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, Wang Wentian, while its opening was witnessed by a new Cambodian prime minister and a new Chinese ambassador, illustrating the continuity and stability of bilateral infrastructure cooperation.
He said the opening of National Road 7 was not the end of cooperation. Under Ministry of Public Works and Transport plans, many road sections still required upgrading in 2026–2027, with numerous projects to be supported by Chinese concessional loans. Cambodia viewed transport infrastructure as the economy’s lifeblood and would continue improving its integrated transport network under the principle “where there are roads, there is hope.”
Hun Manet praised China’s support for Cambodian infrastructure, citing the Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport, National Road 71C and river bridges as examples of China-supported projects demonstrating the countries’ close friendship. He thanked China for longstanding assistance through grants and concessional loans to promote economic development and improve livelihoods.
On road maintenance, Hun Manet called for systematic management. According to the report, Cambodia had revised regulations to raise the freight-vehicle load limit to 50 tonnes in line with upgraded road conditions. He urged regular checks on overloading and lasting oversight, and called on transport companies and the public to observe the law and help protect roads, so maintenance savings could support more local infrastructure.
