Public Forum
on “Foreign Direct Investment in Cambodia:
How to attract Japanese Investors”
Organized by the Toshu Fukami Center for Japan Studies and Management,
the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP)

Venue: Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), Phum Pong Peay, Phnom Penh Thmey, Khan Russey Keo, Phnom Penh
Date: August 15, 2008 (Tentative)

Cambodia is trying to catch up with the countries in region and world in economic development after 3 decades of civil war, political strife and destruction. Since the 1993 general elections, the Government has been trying to transform the country from a war-ravaged battlefield to a dynamic investment area.

Cambodia is located in the fastest growing economic region of the world in which foreign and investment inter-linkages are higher than in any other developing regions. In addition to abundance of young labor, the country is also richly endowed with natural resources, especially agricultural land, mineral recourses, oil and gas, forest and marine resources.

The country also has strong potential in tourism. Located in Southeast Asia, where tourism is booming especially in its neighbors, Thailand and Vietnam Cambodia can take this opportunity in tourism development. Cambodia has an advantage for international tourist attractions because of its historical heritage, unpolluted scenic attraction and its central location in Southeast Asia. Cambodia is the successor of the Khmer Empire and Khmer civilization had a great influence on the cultural and artistic evolution of the region. The Angkor Temple and Preah Vihear Temple have been inscribed in those of the most significant World Heritages List promising enough to develop as an international tourist destination. The beautiful natural landscapes, particularly rice field at the countryside, the Mekong River, the Tonle Sab Lake, North-Eastern highland, and the beautiful beach in Sihanoukville and Kompot province also attract nature tourists.

Therefore, the country possesses a good foundation for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

With strong potentials for future development, many foreign investors from many countries are very interested in investing in the country and the Royal Government has provided investment licenses to foreign investors in many fields including agriculture, tourism, industry, especially garments, textiles and manufacturing, banking and financial services, etc.  The main investors are from China, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong (SAR) and France.

Though Japan is the biggest donor to Cambodia for the past 15 years, investment from Japan is very limited. According to the data of approved investment obtained from CDC, Japan did not invest in Cambodia in 2006 but in 2007 (9 month) Japan invested US$ 80 million or about 4.15 percent of total investment. This means that Japanese investors are still reluctant to invest in Cambodia.

In this regard, the Toshu Fukami Center for Japan and Management Studies, the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace is organizing a half day Public Forum on “Foreign Direct Investment: How to attract Japanese Investors” to discuss the FDI issues in Cambodia.

The objectives of the Public Forum are as follows:

1. Sharing experiences and knowledge on FDI and development in the region and in particular to Cambodia;
2. Discussing the government’s policy for the development of FDI in Cambodia; and
3. Assessing the challenges Cambodia is facing to attract investment, especially from Japan.

PROGRAM (Tentative)