China offered a stadium to the Cambodian capital, worth $ 150 million, the largest infrastructure ever offered to the country, according to the government.
The 60,000-seat stadium is the latest project of the more than $ 1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative, which wants to expand Beijing’s influence abroad.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended the inauguration of the sports venue, which will host the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.
The infrastructure, to be called the Morodok Techno National Stadium, is shaped like a sailing ship symbolizing the friendship between the two countries, from when the Chinese used to travel to Cambodia by boat, an official source said.
The two countries took advantage of Wang’s visit to sign various contracts, for which Beijing promised an investment of $ 250 million for development projects, according to the Cambodian prime minister.
Wang Yi assured that China will never impose “political conditions” on its cooperation with Phnom Penh.
Cambodia is a longtime ally of China and has received billions of dollars in loans and investments, but also, more recently, almost 28 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine, of which 4.3 million were donated. AFP (HN)