Cambodia has ‘adapted well’ to Thailand’s unilateral border closure

Cambodia has ‘adapted well’ to Thailand’s unilateral border closure

The Cambodian manufacturing sector has adapted well to the unilateral closure of the border by Thailand, Commerce Minister Cham Nimul said.

“The manufacturing sector has adapted well. This situation has continued for a year. Although the land border has been unilaterally closed by the Thai side, transportation through seaports and airports continues to operate,” Nimul told Bloomberg’s Avril Hong in Phnom Penh.

“Thailand has always played the role of an additional corridor or ‘Plus One Corridor’ for Cambodia. But at the same time, Cambodia also has other corridors that we are developing with Vietnam and Laos. So the trade routes have reorganised themselves and we are also diversifying our import markets.

“We are seeing an upward trend and this is confirmed by our export data, which continues to increase. It may be surprising to the public, but not to us.

“Of course, the closest source is always the best option because of transportation and logistics costs. But at the same time, diversifying our import markets has given us a lot of benefits. By doing this, many different trading partners can enter into agreements with each other, allowing us to find more sources of supply. The important thing is that now we are also buying raw materials locally. This is what we are deeply integrating,” she said.

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