An online work conference focusing on the upgrading of Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) in Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, was held in Wuxi, Jiangsu province of East China, on Dec 17.

Founded and constructed mainly by Hodo Group – a garment giant based in Wuxi, the zone is the only special economic zone recognized by both the Chinese and Cambodian governments, boasting the top GDP ranking in Cambodia.

The meeting set up three sub-venues, attended by high-ranking officials from Wuxi city and Preah Sihanouk Province, as well as representatives from manufacturing, medical, and educational sectors.

China is Cambodia's biggest trading partner. The two countries have a strong bond with intensive imports and exports and investment activities.

Located at the Indo-China Peninsula, Cambodia was an integral part of Marinetime Silk Road during ancient times. Now it is proactively participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Wuxi has had friendly exchanges with Sihanoukville city for the last 12 years since the two cities have confirmed the sister-city relationship.

According to Zhou Haijiang, board chairman of Hodo Group, SSEZ is home to 170 enterprises from China, Europe, America and Southeast Asia, with new breakthroughs made in foreign trade. The imports and exports from January to November this year have amounted to $2 billion, up 40.03 percent year-on-year.