SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, March 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese-invested tire factory in Cambodia's Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone (SSEZ) launched its operation on Saturday after more than one year of construction.

The 300-million-U.S.-dollar General Tire Technology (Cambodia) factory, located in Cambodia's coastal province of Preah Sihanouk, is a subsidiary of Chinese tire maker Jiangsu General Science Technology. It is capable of manufacturing 5 million semi-steel radial tires and 900,000 all-steel radial tires per year, said Gu Cui, chairman of Jiangsu General Science Technology.

"Our products will be mainly exported to the United States, Europe, and Brazil among others," he said at the inauguration ceremony.

He said the 18-hectare factory has created some 1,600 jobs for local people.

Speaking at the event, provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun congratulated the factory on launching its operation, noting that it is a major project for the SSEZ.

"The factory will not only help boost the province's economic development and exports, but also contribute to poverty reduction through job creation," he said.

The SSEZ, jointly invested by China and Cambodia, currently hosts some 175 enterprises from China, the United States, and Europe, Southeast Asia and other regions, creating nearly 30,000 jobs, according to SSEZ General Manager Cao Jianjiang.

The 11-square-km industrial zone is the Southeast Asian country's largest industrial zone in terms of size and occupancy.

Cao said the imports and exports passing through the SSEZ totaled 2.49 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 12 percent.