China-funded highway brings Cambodian development into fast lane

This aerial view taken on April 7, 2025 in Phnom Penh shows a toll on the expressway connecting the country's capital to Sihanoukville. Once a collection of sleepy fishing villages, vast Chinese investments have transformed the Cambodia's Sihanoukville into a half-finished gambling resort with signs everywhere in Mandarin. - AFP

PHNOM PENH: Traveling south-west from Phnom Penh, a 187-km highway connecting Cambodia's capital with the port city of Sihanoukville passes through 31 townships and 110 villages, including Voa Sar village.

When construction of the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, funded by China Road and Bridge Corporation, began in June 2019, the once-quiet village adjacent to the highway suddenly came alive with activity, Chhay Kimsan, the 69-year-old village chief, recalled.