Cambodia's Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone accommodates 217 enterprises in 2025

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of enterprises in the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone (SSEZ) in Cambodia reached 217 in 2025, the zone's operator said on Tuesday.

The SSEZ was jointly invested and constructed by Cambodian and Chinese enterprises.

In its news release, the SSEZ operator said that in 2025, the SSEZ focused on building industrial and supply chains in areas such as automobile manufacturing and parts, new energy components and machinery processing, as well as power equipment.

"Last year, the SSEZ accommodated 20 more new enterprises, bringing the total number of enterprises in the zone to 217," the news release said.

Some 3,000 new jobs were created in 2025, raising the total number of employees in the zone to 35,000 so far, the news release said, adding that the zone has significantly contributed to improving the living conditions of local people.

Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, said the figure highlighted the SSEZ's rise as Cambodia's most advanced and globally connected industrial hub.

"It reflects not only expanding scale but also meaningful structural upgrading, marked by deeper integration into regional and global supply chains, particularly in automotive parts, new energy equipment, and machinery manufacturing," he told Xinhua.

"At the same time, the steady growth reflects strong investor confidence and demonstrates the high attractiveness of Cambodia's business environment," he added.

It also indicated a shift toward higher value-added activities beyond basic assembly, as industrial growth in the zone becomes more inclusive and sustainable, reinforcing local support and broader political-economic stability, Mengdavid said.

Established in 2008 near the deep-water Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the 11-square-km SSEZ is home to enterprises from various countries and regions, including China, the European Union, the United States, and Southeast Asian countries. ■