Cambodia

"The Chinese population in Cambodia is not that large, about one-fifth, and they rely on hard work and cleverness, but they are the group of people living at the top." Following the voice, the reporter saw a dark-skinned middle-aged man, fucking Speaking in Mandarin with a southern Chinese accent, he speaks not hurriedly or slowly.

    He is Xiao Huo, our tour guide, usually lives in the capital Phnom Penh. He is considered to be the fourth generation of Chinese in Cambodia. His grandfather fled to the border of Southeast Asia, and his descendants have taken root here ever since.

    2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cambodia. In recent years, Cambodia has developed into one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. However, due to the uneven regional development, modern and backward tentacles are intertwined and grow in this ancient land.

Impressions of Siem Reap

    We drove to Cambodia's second largest city-Siem Reap. In the twelfth century AD, the world-famous Angkor Wat was built here. When the stone columns were carved, the mysterious Khmer smile was born.

    Cambodia has no four seasons, only drought and rain. Now it is their dry season. Listening to Xiao Huo's introduction, "During the dry season, there can be no drop of rain for half a year." Although 33 degrees is not considered a high temperature locally, it is located in the tropics and has plenty of sunshine, which can still weaken people in the "winter". However, thanks to this, the watermelon, pineapple and mango here are also particularly sweet.

    “Cambodia’s hotels have a lower star rating than China’s. For example, the five-star here is roughly equivalent to China’s 3 to 4 stars.” When we checked into a hotel in the center of Siem Reap, Xiao Huo explained to us Tao.

    In Siem Reap, which is known as the second largest city in the country, the most basic road facilities-traffic lights are hard to see. Xiao Huo was helpless, "Except for the better capital Phnom Penh and the special zone that imitates Shenzhen's Westport, other places still need to be developed. Even if the whole province of Siem Reap adds up, there are only 13 sets of traffic lights."

    There is almost no decent public transportation system for travel, and all trips are carried by private tricycles. Locals call them "tutu vehicles", which are a bit like the "toad carts" in small cities in China in the 1980s and 1990s.

    On the roads of Siem Reap, you can often see young local men and women riding motorcycles, many of which are bought second-hand cars. Due to the low car ownership and the lagging road planning, CMBs often drive dusty on the "dirt road".

    Crossing the road is a chore, because it takes one hundred and twenty thousand points. In addition to the absence of traffic lights, the roads are chaotic, and vehicles are uninterrupted. Sometimes they have to wait for a long time. On the road, there are often "sudden cars" that are "rampaging". "Be sure to let it, don't rush it, otherwise, when it approaches you, there will be no way to brake in time." Xiaohuo exclaimed with a serious face.

    Driving in Siem Reap is not too late, and the roadside is already dark. "The government's electricity supply is insufficient, the power generation method is simple, and the price of electricity is very expensive, and sometimes it is imported." Xiaohuo said to us while pointing out the window.

    "At night, it's pitch black, lack of infrastructure, and pitifully few cars, just like we did in the 1970s and 1980s." A fellow "post-60s" said with emotion.

Chinese Brand

    Tourism is the most important industry in Siem Reap, and it is not an exaggeration to put it all over Cambodia. And one third of the tourists entering Cambodia each year are from China.

    It can be said that the arrival of Chinese tourists has not only brought a lot of income to the local people and provided more jobs, but also laid a strong "Chinese brand" here: in the duty-free shops and outlets in Siem Reap, China Visitors are in constant flow; the "recommend Alipay" sign in the store is placed in the most conspicuous place; shopping guides who can speak Chinese can happily recommend products and local products to Chinese tourists; Chinese characters are often seen in the store as signs.

    Across the door, inside is a gathering of many well-known international brands such as Swarovski, Gucci, Coach, etc. The dazzling array of products is overwhelming; the outside is a rural red clay road with a few low and dilapidated small bungalows, which cannot afford shoes. Children are frolicking barefoot.

    In the evening, we walked into a large-scale "Angkor Supermarket" in Siem Reap. As soon as we entered the door and looked up, we saw that in accordance with Chinese customs and habits, it was already covered with red lanterns and dragon-shaped decorations for the Spring Festival. Xiaohuo told us that the Spring Festival is not a legal holiday in Cambodia, and that this is more to cater to Chinese tourists.

    Wangwang snow cakes, Haidilao self-cooked small hot pot, Laoganma beef sauce...Many of the local Chinese products displayed on the shelves have brought cordiality and favor to Chinese tourists.

    "For electronic payments, Alipay is directly settled in U.S. dollars. If you use banknotes, both Cambodian riel and U.S. dollars can be used locally. However, it is more cost-effective to exchange for U.S. dollars. After all, local goods are priced in U.S. dollars. In other words, U.S. dollars. It is more popular here. However, if you really use RMB to tip or settle in a larger supermarket, the locals will also accept it." Xiaohuo told reporters.

    Although the economy is underdeveloped, prices in Cambodia are not cheap. In the past, due to the lack of decent industrial manufacturing, many industrial products could not be self-sufficient. Even the cups for drinking water had to be imported from abroad. The lack of supply made them expensive.

    On the other hand, the purchasing power of the local currency is not strong. If 1 yuan is equal to 500 riel, buying a popsicle in the scenic spot will cost you a 2,000 riel "big bill." Although the maximum denomination of riel banknotes can reach 20,000, which can give you the pleasure of "a big buck", inflation is an indisputable fact.

Multilateral assistance

    Under Xiao Huo's leadership, the reporter visited several local specialty shopping stores in Siem Reap. These shopping stores mainly sell agarwood, latex, silk, snake medicine, jade and other specialized commodities. Most of them belong to state-owned enterprises. Relying on unique resource endowments, they are one of the important sources of local tourism income.

    In one of the stores, we were received by a young guy from Guangxi, China. He learned from his mouth that because he was studying Cambodian in China, he was sent here to help local people develop the tourism industry, help promote local specialty products to tourists or sightseeing groups, and be responsible for etiquette training for Cambodian shop staff. There are many other Chinese aid workers like him, most of them from Guangxi, Hunan and other southern Chinese provinces.

    "In the past few years, China has given Cambodia a lot of assistance, especially in infrastructure construction. More than 2,000 kilometers of roads in the local area were planned and built with China's help. In recent years, Cambodia's economic development has been very rapid, and it is inseparable from it. China's multilateral assistance." He has a deep understanding of this in Cambodia over the past few years.

    The latest data shows that China's total investment in Cambodia in 2018 reached US$3.6 billion, accounting for 53% of the total foreign investment in Cambodia of US$6.8 billion, an increase of 54% over 2017. In 2017, the trade volume between Cambodia and China reached 6 billion U.S. dollars. At present, the leaders of the two countries have decided to facilitate the completion of the target of 10 billion U.S. dollars in trade transactions between the two countries by 2023.