PHNOM PENH, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted a fixed-asset investment of 7.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first eight months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 50 percent, the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) said in a report on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian country approved 491 investment projects during the January-August period, up from 287 projects over the same period last year, generating around 339,000 jobs, the CDC said.

The projects have mainly focused on manufacturing, infrastructure, agriculture and agro-industry, and tourism, the report said.

China remained the top foreign investor in the kingdom, accounting for 52.82 percent of the total investment.

Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement and Cambodia's bilateral free trade agreements with China, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates are key factors in attracting foreign direct investment to the kingdom.

"New investments will bring new capital, technologies and job opportunities for our people," he told Xinhua. ■