The Wuxi-based textile and garment giant Hodo Group donated $300,000 to the provincial government of Sihanoukville, Cambodia to help build a civic park there on May 31 in the Sihanoukville special economic zone (SEZ), in a "symbol of friendship" to the Southeast Asian country.

The donation ceremony was attended by Gao Yunlong, deputy chairman of CPPCC National Committee, Li An, economic and commercial counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Cambodia, Zhou Haijiang, chairman of Hodo Group and officials from the provincial government of Sihanoukville.

Under the China-pioneered Belt and Road Initiative, the SEZ in the coastal city of Sihanoukville is recognized as a place of economic significance by the local government.

Jointly developed by Hodo Group and Cambodia International Investment Development Group in 2007, the Sihanoukville SEZ is the first of its kind. It was developed based on an intergovernmental agreement and bilateral coordination between China and Cambodia.

It is hoped that the Sihanoukville SEZ will attract 300 companies from industries such as textiles, garments, machinery, electronics, leather products and wooden flooring and provide over 100,000 jobs for the local.

The new civic park, covering about 2 hectares, will become a significant part of cultural and tourism exchanges between China and Cambodia, with the Sihanoukville SEZ serving as an important intermediary.

On May 30, Prime Minister Hun Sen of the Kingdom of Cambodia met the Chinese delegation led by Gao and spoke highly of the Sihanoukville SEZ which he hopes will help Sihanoukville to become "the province with the most potential to develop the economy in Cambodia".