The Sichuan-Cambodia Business Matching Session 2014 was held here Thursday with an aim to further promote economic and trade relations between Cambodia and China.

The half-day forum brought together business executives from 51 enterprises in Southwest China's Sichuan Province and some 120 Cambodian business people.

Speaking at the forum, Wang Youping, vice-president of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Sichuan Council, said business executives from Sichuan are doing businesses in agriculture, machinery, electric product manufacturing, pharmaceutical productions, and food and beverage industries.

"They are all excellent enterprises featuring advanced technology, reliable products and good reputation," he said. "I hope that Chinese and Cambodian friends from the business circles can grasp this opportunity to find business partners so as to push forward sustained economic cooperation between Cambodia and Sichuan."

He said Cambodia and Sichuan still have plenty of room to grow in trade and investment, particularly in agriculture, tourism, and infrastructure.

"According to China-ASEAN Free Trade Area tariff reduction schedule, 90 percent of trade commodities between China and Cambodia will enjoy zero duty by 2015, so this will bring substantial opportunities for economic cooperation," he said.

Chhuon Dara, secretary of state of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, said the forum was vital to further strengthen friendship relations and deepen trade and investment cooperation between Cambodia and China.

"This is a golden opportunity for Cambodian and Chinese business people to seek business partners for long-term cooperation," he said. "Cambodia treats investors equally - either domestic or foreign investors can own 100 percent in their businesses."

Suon Sophal, chief of the Public Relations and Investment Promotion Department at the Council for the Development of Cambodia, said China is the largest investor in Cambodia with a total investment of 9.61 billion US dollars from 1994 to 2013.

He said Cambodia is strongly encouraging investments in agriculture and agro-industry, transport and telecommunication infrastructure, energy and electricity, export-oriented processing and manufacturing, tourism-related industries, human resources development, and mineral resources.

"Cambodia is one of the ASEAN member states, so investing in Cambodia, you will have 600 million consumers at your doorstep," he said.