Momberger
A Chinese-funded airport will be constructed on Koh Rong Island. Koh Rong—a backpacker’s haven—is located a short boat ride from Sihanoukville. The airport, which is being built to host the expected influx of tourists, will have a runway of 2,650 meters (8,694 feet), long enough to accommodate bigger planes such as the Airbus A321. The completion date is unknown.
The development projects on the island, including the airport, are funded by a Chinese backed jointventure. In 2008, the Cambodian government granted Royal Group, run by business oligarch Kith Meng, who is also the president of Cambodia’s Chamber of Commerce, a 99-year lease to develop the island in conjunction with a Hong Kong real estate company, which later dropped out. The obscure Chinese-owned Royal Galaxy Group then filled the vacuum. This acquisition appears to be its only one. The two companies announced a USD 300-million plan for the development at a December 2019 ceremony in Sihanoukville. Present was Cheng Kewei, a Chinese Communist Party official involved for years with the Shenzhen city branch of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body.
This has led to speculation about the project. Why does an airport need to be built, while nearby one already exists in nearby Sihanoukville? Observers speculate that the airport could end up hosting Chinese military assets. The runway has ample length to accommodate long-range bombers and military transports. #1135.25
