Sok Phea, Deputy Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, Attends the "2026 Global Mayors Dialogue · Ningbo"

The "2026 Global Mayors Dialogue · Ningbo" is being held in Ningbo, Zhejiang, from Nov. 2-5. Mayors and mayoral representatives from 20 cities in 15 countries, including France, Italy and New Zealand, have gathered with representatives of international organizations such as the United Nations Global Compact to share their cities' distinctive strengths, discuss openness and cooperation, and explore development opportunities under the theme "Openness and Connectivity for Shared Opportunities."

Sok Phea, Deputy Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, gives an exclusive interview.

Sok Phea, Deputy Governor of Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, attended the event as an invited guest. Reflecting on his visit, he praised Ningbo as a vibrant city with well-developed infrastructure and expressed his hope to deepen cooperation between Preah Sihanouk Province and Ningbo in port services, cultural tourism and other fields.

Under the theme "Openness and Connectivity for Shared Opportunities," the event features a main mayoral dialogue, two scenario-based dialogues—"Resilience and Development: Strengthening Connectivity and Cooperation Among Port Cities" and "Smart Governance, Shared Future: How Innovation is Changing Our Cities" as well as three activities focused on civilizational exchange and mutual learning. Guests discussed cityexchanged views on topics including urbaninternationalization, mutual open cooperation, urban development, cultural exchange and people-to-people bonds. They also visited Ningbo's ports, smart manufacturing enterprises, and historic and cultural districts to experience its Ningbo's openness and vitality, industrial development, and urban culture.

Sok Phea said Ningbo is a vibrantvibrant, innovativecity with well-developed infrastructure and rich tourism resources. "Whether for personal interest or work needs, I would be happy to visit Ningbo again," he said.

Port cooperation was thea keyfocus of Sok Phea'sPhea'svisit. In his view, Ningbo continues to expand external cooperation by relying on itsleveraging thePort of Ningbo-Zhoushan and entireits well-establishedmanufacturing system. Meanwhile, Preah Sihanouk Province is home to Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, Cambodia's most important deep-water seaport, and the Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone, a national-level industrial platform platform — the endowments of theseplatform. Thetwo export-oriented port cities arethus havehighly consistentcomplementary strengths. "The shipping routelink between Ningbo and Preah Sihanouk Province is not just a transport corridor, but an economic bridge connecting the two places," Sok Phea said. He looks forward to more exchanges between the two places in smart port construction and maritime connectivity, and to driving the ports toward a smarter and greener development.

Sok Phea believes Ningbo is also a city rich in historical and cultural charm. Exchanges between cities can rely not only on port cooperation and trade, but also on cultural exchange and tourism, which can bring both sides closer. He noted that Ningbo and Preah Sihanouk Province each have their own advantages in tourism resources, which provides conditions for deepening cooperation and enhancing people-to-people exchanges between the two places. "Preah Sihanouk Province has charming coastlines and rich island tourism resources. Tourism and cultural exchange help enhance mutual understanding and trust between people of both sides. We welcome more and more Chinese tourists to visit Preah Sihanouk Province," Sok Phea added.

As As early as November 2017, Sihanoukville, the capital of Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia, established friendly ties friendly relations with Ningbo. According to the 2025 Annual Report released by Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, the port sent management and senior staff to Ningbo to participate in the "2025 Maritime Silk Road Port Cooperation Forum" from May 25 to 29, 2025 for exchanges on port capacity building and port management. These exchanges and port cooperation have created conditions for both sides to further expand practical cooperation in the future.