Despite global political and economic conditions, as well as trade pressure caused by border tensions, the Kingdom’s international trade has not declined. Instead, it recorded growth of nearly 20% during the first two months of 2026.
A March 10 report from the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) showed that in January and February, Cambodia’s total trade with all partner countries reached $11.11 billion, an increase of 17.6% over the same period in 2025, when $9.45 billion was recorded. Exports totalled $5.23 billion, up 17.2%, while imports reached $5.88 billion, rising 18%.
Cambodia recorded a trade deficit of about $656.96 million, an increase from the $527.13 million reported in the same period last year. The Kingdom’s major trading partners include China, the US, Vietnam, Thailand and Japan.
Hong Vanak, an economist at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post on March 10 that, as a developing country, Cambodia is making strong efforts to strengthen its economy and move forward, He added that the introduction of new policies and the construction of supporting infrastructure by the Royal Government, along with efforts by the private sector to attract and encourage domestic and international investors, have enabled Cambodia’s economy to achieve continuous positive results.
He noted that although global economic growth remains fragile and border tensions caused by the Thai side have affected some cross-border trade flows, Cambodia’s international trade activities have not declined.
“The growth in international trade volume demonstrates the progress of the government and private sector’s efforts to diversify the economy and expand into markets in countries around the world,” he said.
He believed Cambodia’s international trade will continue to grow further, as more factories and enterprises are now operating in the country, producing increasing volumes of goods to meet domestic and export demand.
Minister of Commerce Cham Nimul, speaking at the closing ceremony of the “Annual Review Meeting of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce for 2025 and Direction Setting for 2026” in late January, said the private sector has played a crucial role in promoting Cambodia’s trade and driving national economic growth. This has been achieved through increased investment, diversification of export–import products, improved competitiveness and greater participation in regional and global value and supply chains. These efforts align with the government’s ongoing work to deepen Cambodia’s economic integration into the region and the world, particularly through continued negotiations to open new potential markets, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The minister emphasised that alongside the private sector’s efforts, the Royal Government — through the commerce ministry — has also undertaken numerous initiatives to create a more favourable environment for investment and to diversify export and import markets, based on the approach of “strengthening existing markets and expanding into new markets”.
