Source: Xinhua    Published: 2015-10-27

Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo speaks during a forum on Maritime Silk Road in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Oct. 27, 2015. A forum on China-initiated 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was held here on Tuesday, aiming at promoting the initiative to Cambodian officials, entrepreneurs, economists and researchers. (Xinhua/Phearum)

A forum on China-initiated 21st Century Maritime Silk Road was held here on Tuesday, aiming at promoting the initiative to Cambodian officials, entrepreneurs, economists and researchers.

Cambodian Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Bu Jianguo were among about 200 participants at the forum.

The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, along with the Silk Road Economic Belt, was initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Central Asia and Southeast Asia in September and October 2013.

The road is a maritime network designed to link China`s coast to Europe through the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean in one route, and China`s coast to the South Pacific through the South China Sea in another.

To support the initiative, China has established the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which has 57 prospective founding countries and will have an authorized capital of 100 billion U.S. dollars, and the Silk Road Fund with China`s funding of 40 billion U.S. dollars.

"Cambodia is an important nation along the Maritime Silk Road," Xu Ningning, executive president of China-ASEAN Business Council, said at the forum, adding that the initiative was focused on the development of connectivity infrastructure in countries along the route.

"The Chinese government has been actively supporting Chinese enterprises to engage in infrastructure construction in ASEAN, including Cambodia," he said.

Meanwhile, Sun Chanthol said Cambodia fully supported the initiative since it would contribute to socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

Ambassador Bu said under the Maritime Silk Road initiative, cooperation between China and Cambodia, particularly in infrastructure development, economics, trade, investment, tourism and culture, will be broader.