Cambodia received $600 million package from China

China agreed to nearly $600 million in deals to Cambodia on Thursday, during a visit of Prime Minister Hun Sen to Beijing.

The money, in grants, loans and investment capital, was below the “billions” Prim-Minister Hun Sen had said he expected before leaving from Beijing.

In all, Cambodia and China signed deals on 13 projects, from energy and infrastructure to finance and agriculture, Mr. Hor Namhong, Cambodian Foreign Minister said Friday as the delegation returned from a five-day visit.

Foreign Minister Hor Namhong said that the package included $300 million in projects for national road and irrigation projects in the provinces of Preah Vihear, Mondolkiri and Svay Rieng and the other projects include bridges to Chroy Changvar, across the Tonle Sap from Phnom Penh, and in Takmao, and a dam in Pursat province.

He also added that China and Cambodia will also seek to boost trade.

China’s president, Hu Jintao, promised to push Chinese companies to invest more in Cambodia, he said.

Trade between the two for the first 10 months of this year reached $1.1 billion, he said, a number they hoped would reach $2.5 billion by 2015.