Diplomatic relations and bilateral trade cooperation between Cambodia and Australia are expected to be further strengthened and expanded, thanks to a meeting between the leaders of both countries on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Malaysia.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on the afternoon of October 27, in Kuala Lumpur.
Manet shared the value he placed on the progress of relations and cooperation between Cambodia and Australia, following his bilateral meeting with Albanese in Melbourne, Australia, in March 2024, noting that close cooperation had led to a remarkable increase in bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and Australia, reaching nearly $600 million in 2024.
He also expressed his gratitude to Australia for its continued support and for increasing the number of scholarships it offers to Cambodian students. He described the security and defence between the two as excellent, as demonstrated by the visit of the Royal Australian Navy warship HMAS Ballarat, which docked at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and visited the Ream Naval Base from October 10–15.
Albanese agreed with Manet’s positive assessment of relations and cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as trade and economy, security and defence, and people-to-people exchanges. He also praised Cambodia’s efforts to combat cybercrime and online fraud, describing these issues as global challenges.
According to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) of Cambodia, from January to September 2025, trade between Cambodia and Australia totalled $252.5 million, an increase of 8.02% compared to the same period in 2024. Cambodian exports were worth $168.98 million (up 7%), while imports were $83.52 million (up 26.8%).
Lim Heng, vice-president of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC), told The Post recently that in recognition of Australia’s market potential, the CCC opened two representative offices in Melbourne and Sydney, in 2023. They aim to provide information and attract Australian investors to Cambodia. Currently, Australian investments in Cambodia are mainly in mining, industry, education and agriculture.
“Apart from investing and importing goods from Cambodia, Australia also provides significant assistance to the country,” he said.
According to Heng, Cambodia’s key export products to Australia include textiles, bicycles and agricultural goods, while imports from Australia mainly consist of electronics and pharmaceuticals.
The country’s strong economic growth and confidence in the Cambodian riel also encouraged the UK-based company Travelex to list the riel on its foreign exchange trading board in Melbourne, Australia, starting September 1, 2025.
The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) explained that enabling riel trading in Australia will make it easier for Australian tourists visiting Cambodia and Cambodian travellers going to Australia to exchange currencies between the riel and the Australian dollar. This move is expected to further promote tourism between the two countries.
“The presence of the riel on the foreign exchange board in Australia is clear evidence that the Cambodian riel can be traded internationally and reflects growing trust and recognition of the national currency,” said the NBC.
The Ministry of Tourism reported that during the first eight months of 2025, 65,515 Australian tourists visited Cambodia, up 4.4% compared to the same period in 2024. In 2024, Cambodia received a total of 104,489 Australian tourists, an increase of 19.8% over 2023.
