Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty and tensions along the Cambodia–Thailand border, operations at the Royal Group Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone (RGPPSEZ) have remained notably positive. In the first nine months of 2025, exports from factories and enterprises within RGPPSEZ reached approximately $1.5 billion.
Hak Serey, RGPPSEZ senior manager for CS Marketing and PR, explained that since its inception in 2006, the zone has aimed to become a leading hub for manufacturing companies in various industries, while simultaneously creating crucial employment opportunities for Cambodians. Nearly 20 years later, the zone has shown remarkable growth.
Today, it is home to 91 manufacturing and 29 non-manufacturing companies from 15 nations, providing employment to 55,000 workers in the high-value-added industries which are crucial to the Kingdom’s growth. Among the 120 companies, ten new Chinese and two Japanese invested in 2025.
As of September 2025, the zone’s total export value was $1.5 billion; the figure was expected to exceed $2 billion by year’s end.
According to an official press release from RGPPSEZ, since the start of the border tensions and the implementation of the US “reciprocal” tariffs, the total value of exports to Thailand and the US have not shown a significant drop. Exports to other destinations combined reached their highest point in September.
Since the onset of the border tensions in June up to the present in October, the zone has recruited over 10,000 workers. The press release described this as demonstrating the zone’s ongoing commitment to providing employment opportunities for Cambodian workers who have returned home from Thailand due to the recent conflict.
“RGPPSEZ reaffirms its strength and stability despite the recent Cambodia-Thai border conflict and the renewed US tariff measures (19%) under President Trump’s administration. RGPPSEZ continues to stand as one of Cambodia’s most reliable industrial and investment hubs. Our zone’s solid infrastructure, strategic location and proactive management have enabled uninterrupted production and logistics for our international tenants.”
Kith Meng, chairman of the RGPPSEZ, added his own thoughts, via the release.
“Crisis is not the time to ask, ‘Why me?’ It’s the time to ask, ‘What’s my next step?’ Positivity is not ignoring problems. It’s choosing to believe in our power to respond, not react,” he said.
