Trade with RCEP rises by 14.7 percent to $3.7B in Jan

Trade with RCEP rises by 14.7 percent to $3.7B in Jan

‘RCEP agreement plays the role of a catalyst in attracting investment to Cambodia for producing and processing products that not only supply local market but also for exports.’

Cambodia’s trade with member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reached approximately $3.76 billion in January 2026, an increase of 14.75 percent from $3.28 billion from January last year, a report from the Ministry of Commerce showed Friday.

According to the report, Cambodia exported $927 million worth of goods to RCEP nations in January 2026, an increase of 19.34 percent, while imports from RCEP members were $2.83 billion, up 13.32 percent.

The Kingdom’s trade with RCEP accounted for 61.3 percent of the total trade of $6.14 billion.

The RCEP Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on January 1, 2022, comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries, including ten ASEAN Member States and their five trading partners: China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Speaking with Khmer Times, Lim Heng, Vice-President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, said, “RCEP agreement is a catalyst in attracting investment to Cambodia for producing and processing products that not only supply to the local market but also for exports.”

The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has encouraged the private sector to utilise the benefits of RCEP to help offset the potential loss of other trade preferences.

Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, has recently said that RCEP is a key market for Cambodia, emphasising the ministry’s continued efforts to work closely with relevant institutions to advance regional and global economic integration, as well as to diversify export and import markets.

The ministry continues to implement strategies aimed at strengthening existing markets, expanding into new ones, while upholding multilateralism based on the principles of the rule of law and open markets that allow flexibility,” Nimul said in January.

In 2025, the Kingdom’s total trade volume with RCEP countries reached $40.2 billion, accounting for 61.68 percent of Cambodia’s total trade volume of $65.24 billion, according to the MoC report. In which the Kingdom exported goods worth $9.8 billion to countries of RCEP, marking a 7 percent year-on-year increase.

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