Cambodia on Monday broke ground for the construction of a bridge across the Mekong River here in the country"s northeastern part, with funds from China.

The ceremony was presided over by Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Chinese Ambassador to Cambodia Wang Wentian, and was attended by thousands of local officials, residents and students.

The 1,761-meter-by-13.5-meter bridge, along with a 31.69-km connecting road, will be constructed by the Shanghai Construction Group under China's preferential loan, and the construction is expected to be completed in 42 months.

Hun Sen said the bridge is another fruitful result of close cooperation and solidarity between Cambodia and China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

He said the bridge is strategically important, as it is part of Cambodia's National Road 60B that links Kratie with central Kampong Thom province.

Wang said 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the BRI, saying that under this initiative, the bilateral cooperation between China and Cambodia has achieved remarkable results in the infrastructure development sector.