Sihanoukville’s big gamble: the sleepy beach town in Cambodia that bet its future on Chinese money
- Investment from China has brought huge change – and many casinos – to the former fishing village and backpacker favourite
- But while the boom has created opportunities and drawn thousands of new arrivals, there are also serious problems
Sihanoukville may be more than 3,500km away from Beijing, but it feels more like a Chinese city than a sleepy beach town in Cambodia.
Everywhere, people can be heard speaking in Mandarin. Chinese restaurants have sprung up on dusty roads where huge construction sites – including many hotels and casinos – now dominate the skyline.
This former fishing village in the country’s southwest used to be a favourite of backpackers. Now it is booming, and much of the development is being driven by Chinese money.
Chinese began flocking there about three years ago, thanks to relaxed immigration rules as the government sought more foreign investment, especially from China. The community has now grown to an estimated 80,000 – about equal to the number of Cambodians living in the city, according to Sihanoukville mayor Y Sokleng.
Now, almost 90 per cent of businesses in the city, from the hotels and casinos to restaurants and massage parlours, are run by Chinese, provincial police chief Chuon Narin said.