Cambodia’s exports to RCEP countries hit $8.85 billion

Cambodia’s exports to RCEP countries hit $8.85 billion

Exports to RCEP countries accounted for 31.2 percent of the Kingdom’s total exports of $28,368 million.

Cambodia exported $8,850 million worth of goods to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) countries in the first 11 months of 2025, up 5.99 percent from $8,350 million in the same period last year, a report from the Ministry of Commerce showed on Tuesday.

Exports to RCEP countries accounted for 31.2 percent of the Kingdom’s total exports of $28,368 million during the mentioned period, stated the report.

From January to November, Cambodia imported $27,536 million worth of goods from RCEP countries, an increase of 19.17 percent from $23,106 million in the same period last year, stated the report.

These figures made the Kingdom’s trade with RCEP reaching $36,386 million, a year-on-year increase of 15.67 percent, accounting for 61.53 percent of the country’s total international trade of $59,132 million.

The figures reflected the integration of Cambodia’s exports to the regional free trade bloc, which has become a complementary market for Cambodian products in exporting to the RCEP, said Penn Sovicheat, the ministry’s Secretary of State and spokesman.

“The mega regional trade agreement has become important for the country’s economic development, ensuring long-term export growth for Cambodia’s products to other member countries in the bloc,” Sovicheat told Khmer Times.

The RCEP free trade agreement entered into force on January 1, 2022. The regional trade pact comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including the ten Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

The spokesman also emphasized that the mega regional trade agreement has allowed Cambodia to diversify the country’s exports to the existing markets like the US and EU.

Lim Heng, Vice-President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, viewed the RCEP agreement as a catalyst in attracting investment to step into Cambodia for producing and processing products, not only supplies to the local market but also for exports.

“RCEP agreement contributes to attracting foreign direct investments to Cambodia for producing products to export to other members,” Heng told Khmer Times.

Cambodia is currently a signatory to the ASEAN Free Trade Area, the ASEAN+1 Free Trade Agreements with dialogue partners, the RCEP, bilateral free trade agreements with China, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates.

As Cambodia prepares to graduate from its Least Developed Country status scheduled in 2029, the Ministry of Commerce has actively encouraged the private sector to maximize the benefits of RCEP to offset the eventual loss of other trade preferences.

khmertimeskh