sihanoukville cambodia sihanoukville beach multiply casinos lao qi bun saroeun run restaurants barely hundred dusty meter apart fortunes could different lao qi rid chinese boom bring thousands others china cambodian resort bun saroeun business build low-budget western visitors far less profitable face eviction sihanoukville starkly illustrate cambodia ever tighten relationship china transform country china aid investment help prime minister hun sen defy western criticism crackdown opponents also bind cambodia economy ever closely china s. sihanoukville cambodia deep-water port carve jungle 1960s name former king norodom sihanouk playground cambodia elite fell hard time khmer rouge genocide conflict 1970s 1980s become stop backpackers westerners look sun sea sand sex steady trickle chinese money casinos swell tide promise remodel city tout developers first port call china belt road like china 20 years ago opportunity huge say lao qi 33 go nickname first move china zhejiang province work casino noodles fry rice make hundreds dollars day road ecstatic pizza restaurant 59-year-old bun saroeun count lucky make 100 day rise hotel price noise construction discourage western visitors cambodian tourists city say chinese come restaurants say bun saroeun whose landlord evict redevelop prime property near occhuteal beach chinese influx much design charge city governor yun min former regional military commander close ally hun sen. make trip china encourage investors offer protection want come tell reuters estimate chinese already rent half property city benefit cambodia 's `` chinese `` resort city img tmsnrt.rs/2aty4cs estimate number chinese resident city 250,000 run thousands tens thousands figure make public across sihanoukville mandarin sign proliferate supermarkets pack chinese goods commonplace cambodian items tend beer bottle water yet current chinese influx sihanoukville nothing compare forecast near tranquil independence beach concrete tower sprout months promise casinos hotels thousands apartments macau two boast chen hu 48-year-old general manager 200 million 38-storey blue bay resort development compare city world big gamble center showroom group prospective condominium buyers china admire model 20 percent least 700 apartments already sell say price range around 125,000 500,000 lot people complain lot people also benefit injection money china say william van 60 own apartment block fill largely chinese workers see value investment soar clear attraction chinese investors developers say close cambodia-china relationship strengthen hun sen repeat trip beijing chinese president xi jinping visit phnom penh late last year late trip beijing last week hun sen offer investment billion chinese company highway satellite city near phnom penh project education entertainment bank unclear new firm promise highlight accelerate investment trend business follow flag china plant cambodia continue may even explode say u.s. base academic sophal ear co-author book china quest resources abroad talk order magnitude beyond anyone else ... crowd investors sheer volume scale activities picture xi hun sen feature prominently one glossy handouts prince real estate group market apartments phnom penh start work two project cost billion sihanoukville core location belt road initiative say market director hu tian lu refer china infrastructure-led development diplomatic initiative short drive port expand special economic zone 90 percent 110 company operate chinese enjoy tax-free import export corporate tax holiday china due build four-lane highway phnom penh international airport sihanoukville expand 70 percent international flight already chinese destinations improve rail link eventually plan belt road program although sihanoukville focal point chinese investment phenomenon far localize tourists cambodia come china nation 635,000 first seven months year fifth total cambodia hop draw two million chinese tourists year 2020. chinese investment 2012-16 period billion 30 time unite state even include 100 million coca-cola plant open last year china 265 million aid last year well twice japan nearly four time unite state chinese dam provide cambodia electricity third garment factories produce cambodia main export chinese nearly half cambodia 5.8 billion foreign debt also owe china many multiples owe country government political debt beijing also grow western countries condemn arrest hun sen main rival dissolution party ahead next year election china voice support cambodia efforts keep order cambodia china count loyal support regional issue also gain strategic foothold deep southeast asia sandwich sihanoukville concessions own chinese company give control well one-third cambodia coastline gush money sihanoukville mean bonanza land owners one hotelier tell chinese turn offer twice make take hotel casino staff long need work anyone rent nightmare long term western expatriate talk chin turf chinese customer turn will pay much real estate agent thim sothea get harsh lesson way market trend landlord evict business sihanoukville property spot near beach chinese company could move double rent become chinatown say meet cafe still look new space fine rich hotels property everyone else also suit lao qi fine already plan open new restaurant expect close beach cambodia go all-in china casino port city