Thank you Charles! Mr. Ho Yuming, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen. I’m so excited to be here today for the opening of the Nike Flagship Store in Cambodia. Nike is one of the world’s most popular brand names, and I want to congratulate the Empryean Alliance Company for bringing this famed American company to Cambodia.

Nike is more than just shoe and athletic wear company; the brand also stands for motivation and achievement. Hailing from the U.S. state of Oregon, Nike’s founder Phil Knight started the company in 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports, out of a storefront hole-in-the-wall in a working-class neighborhood in Portland. Today, everyone knows Nike’s most famous slogan, “Just Do It.” But there is one Nike slogan that makes me think of Cambodia, not just in the realm of athletics, but in this country’s development and the goals of the youth of Cambodia. It’s “Work Hard Dream Big.”

Twenty or even ten years ago, it would be hard to imagine standing inside this beautiful store in Phnom Penh. But today, Cambodia has come far and is attracting investment from the U.S. and around the world. This is a testament to the economic transformation that is taking place here, a transformation we hope the United States and American companies can continue to help support.