This aerial photo taken on March 19, 2022 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Medical Building in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Photo by Ly Lay/Xinhua)

Mengdavid said that the GDI has offered many development opportunities for the Global South countries, promoted multilateral development frameworks aligned with the UN SDGs, and enhanced multipolarity in global governance. 

Three years on, the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) has injected new impetus into common progress, sustainable and inclusive development, and shared prosperity for all, a Cambodian scholar has said.

The GDI, proposed on Sept. 21, 2021, has supported countries in addressing key issues such as poverty alleviation, food and energy security, and healthcare, Thong Mengdavid, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Mengdavid said that in Cambodia, the GDI has supported projects in infrastructure, food security, industrialization, green development, and digital economy.

Through cooperation with China, Cambodia has developed essential infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports, airports and hydropower plants, which has "enhanced connectivity and improved logistic efficiency, stimulated trade and attracted foreign investment," he added.

Regarding poverty alleviation, Mengdavid cited the Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation Project in the far-flung Tanorn village in southern Takeo province as a model of success.

This photo taken on May 12, 2024 shows the Cambodia-China Friendship Multipurpose Building in Tanorn village, Bati district of Takeo province, Cambodia. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

China's introduction of modern agricultural technologies has "bolstered Cambodia's food security" by helping small farmers increase crop yields, he said.

On industrialization, Mengdavid cited the Sihanoukville Special Economy Zone (SSEZ) as an example of boosting Cambodia's exports, enhancing local value chains, creating jobs, and providing technical training to locals.

The GDI has also encouraged greener development and digital economy in the country, enabling infrastructure modernization, he said.

The scholar praised the GDI for promoting more equitable and sustainable development, saying it has strengthened capacity building and South-South cooperation among developing countries in the advancement of technology, agriculture, and education.

"The GDI has become a more practical and adaptable framework that allows more inclusive development and emphasizes the spirit of multilateralism and collective efforts toward building a more equitable and sustainable world," he said.

Mengdavid said that the GDI has offered many development opportunities for the Global South countries, promoted multilateral development frameworks aligned with the UN SDGs, and enhanced multipolarity in global governance.

"It has revitalized global development partnership and cooperation, and mobilized international resources for high-quality development, injecting vigorous impetus into the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and into building a community with a shared future for mankind," he added.