Cambodia’s RCEP exports reach $7.22B, up 8.9%

Cambodia’s RCEP exports reach $7.22B, up 8.9%

Regional free trade deals have acted as a springboard for export growth, giving Cambodian businesses wider market access to scale up globally.

Cambodia’s exports to countries under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) reached $7.22 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 8.9 percent from $6.63 billion over the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MoC).

Exports to RCEP member countries accounted for 29.4 percent of Cambodia’s total exports of $24.51 billion during the January-August period, the ministry said yesterday.

Meanwhile, Cambodia imported $24.71 billion worth of goods from RCEP countries during the period, a 25 percent increase from $19.73 billion in the same period last year.

These figures made Cambodia’s total trade with RCEP members reaching $31.93 billion, up 21.15 percent year-on-year and accounting for 61.26 percent of the Kingdom’s total international trade of $52.13 billion.

Penn Sovicheat, Secretary of State and spokesman at the Ministry of Commerce, said these figures underscore Cambodia’s growing integration into the regional market and the rising importance of RCEP in sustaining its export sector.

Speaking to Khmer Times, Sovicheat said, “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.”

He said regional free trade agreements have served as a catalyst for export growth, providing Cambodian producers and exporters with greater market access and opportunities to expand their presence in international markets.

“The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership complements the country’s existing bilateral trade agreements and trade preference schemes in boosting the growth of Made-in-Cambodia products,” he said.

The RCEP agreement entered into force on January 1, 2022, creating one of the world’s largest free trade blocs.

The agreement comprises 15 Asia-Pacific economies – the 10 ASEAN member states and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

As Cambodia prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country status in 2029, the MoC has encouraged the private sector to make greater use of RCEP and other free trade agreements to expand market access and help offset the potential loss of some trade preferences associated with LDC graduation.

The ministry urged exporters to boost product quality and standard compliance to maximise benefits under RCEP.

khmertimeskh