Cambodia's Casino Boom Town, Created By Chinese Money | The New Silk Road | CNA Insider

Chinese money has transformed the once-sleepy backpacker destination of Sihanoukville, Cambodia into a gambling resort hub with 30 casinos, and 70 more being built. It's touted as the "New Macau".

But all that new wealth is eluding many local Cambodian businesses - which are being shunted aside.

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About the show:
It was a legendary trading route that for thousands of years connected Europe with Asia, and ancient Rome with Ancient China. Known as the Silk Road, it stretched through some of the most rugged terrain in the world 2000 years ago.

Now modern China is building a new Silk Road. The New Silk Road, also known as the One Belt One Road plan, is a hugely ambitious initiative launched by Presdent Xi Jinping in 2013. It will link up over 65 countries and 4.4 billion people. That is about 60 percent of the world’s population.

Channel NewsAsia’s documentary team has travelled across the globe to 7 regions to investigate what the Silk Road means for individuals, companies and countries. The epic journey will take viewers from the future ports of China to naval bases in the Philippines, to safaris in Africa, wushu schools in Iran and ghettos in Greece.

The program received an Award for Best Documentary (International Affairs) at the New York Festivals.

[wahtusy]

its not only happening in Cambodia.. huge luxury casino hotels here in the Philippines are flooded by Chinese..

[Kylelongwest]

I'm Cambodian. I'm not gonna lie, I can't afford to go there anymore. accommodation price has surged so high over the years that I can no longer go there to relax. If I want to, I rather fly to Thailand and the Philippines.

[ldambies]

5 years after, it is a ghost town with 500 empty buildings😢

[lanaitgirl]

U know he’s Singaporean when he pronounces it as gahmen

[willie]

I like Vietnam. The Chinese wouldn't dare to trample their nation like that. Actually, they did try up North in border town like Quang Ninh where there were $0 tours in which the Chinese tourists are brought to Chinese shops (hoding behind Vietnamese names) only. Knowing this, the Vietnamese govetnment got rid them rightaway. The Vietnamese are very vigilant about that.

[ericloo]

A Chinese-Philippines scholar, Amy Chua already written this case in her book "World on Fire ". Malaysia and Singapore had mostly filled the income gaps between the races.

[hafizkhazali]

..." Chinese always go to the Chinese restaurants..." and ironically before the came..they said they wanted to help local communities..hmmm

[ChengAllen]

I have been to there last year. To be honest, i really don't like the place and I would never go there again. I rather visit KEP and much cheaper n cleaner. Chinese must learn how to balance and protect the ecosystem of environment instead of greedily seeking profit from their investment.

[mrtick]

Have a lot of casinos in 🇰🇭 such as Preah Sihanouk, Poi Pet, Bavet, Corey Thom...

[pizzafox_]

I feel so bad for the restaurant owner that now has no one coming to eat at his place. 😭😭😭

[usucktoo]

As usual, good for China and the Chinese, terrible for the locals and the host country. Exploitation at its finest. I worry for my own country, the Philippines. Seems like Boracay is next.

[KhmerMinnesnowta]

We stop going to Chinaville for a few years now. It's very sad but true!

[daigogo]

Now a days, we still can easily see many cambodian gamblers inside cambodia casinos, the enforcement and security departments must be seriously look into this matter!

[AsiaAsia-ffid]

Tui mê chơi mấy cái này mà thua quá thua. Đang chơi bên nhà cái mới Asia99 không biết thế nào.

[MikeRiver]

Moving those budget westerners out can boost Cambodia's economy

[pistolpetevan]

I used to love this 1 time pristine beach town. Now its a cess pool over run by chinese who have brought lots of crime ....extortion kidnapping shootings. They really messed up my paradise

[KhmerKandal]

Chinese tourists always supporting their Chinese business like that which is normal. I am only a few Khmer that I've known who continues to support Khmer local businesses wherever I go. Khmer needs to learn to how to support their own kind because only us that Khmer can grow.

[jerryteh]

I am a retailer myself, market change always.
And as a service frontliner we have to change.


Maybe the restaurant owner just need to spend USD50-100 for a menu with multiple languages(khmer, english and mandarin),
And another USD50-100 for a mandarin signboard.

I believe if he does this, his business will be much better than before since the number of tourist there grown multiple times.

Not all chinese can read english.

[dayylogg]

The casino gambling business is getting more competitive and challenging with each passing day. Many Singaporeans are gambling for a living and enjoy the mobility via land transport to move between casinos in Malaysia, Vietnam, Kampuchea and now Laos. And, they are giving Singapore a missed or boycott due to entry levy.

[tousshong]

Yup, I feel bad to the local restaurant owners. He's right about the Chinese only at Chinese restaurants supporting oneself. Beside, they come and dive up the cost of living and soon all the local will be force to move out so nothing left but the Chinese people living in Cambodian. Same thing will happen to their boarder neighbor Lao too. LOL