PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's trade volume with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member states saw a year-on-year surge of 21 per cent in the first eight months of 2026, driven by tariff preferences and trade facilitation under the mega-regional pact, official data showed on Saturday (Sept 12).
The South-East Asian country recorded US$31.93 billion in trade with RCEP countries during the January-August period this year, up from US$26.35 billion in the same period last year, according to a report from the Ministry of Commerce.
Cambodia's exports to RCEP members grew 8.9 per cent to US$7.22 billion, while imports climbed 25 per cent to reach US$24.71 billion, the report noted.
The free trade pact remains Cambodia's largest market, accounting for 61.2 per cent of the country's US$52.1-billion-dollar total global trade volume during the eight-month period.
China, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan and Thailand stand as Cambodia's top five trading partners within the bloc.
Penn Sovicheat, a secretary of state and spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce, said the RCEP continues to drive robust trade growth.
He emphasised that it serves as a primary catalyst for Cambodia's long-term export expansion and a powerful incentive for foreign direct investment.
"The regional trade pact will help us graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2029, transition into an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and fast-track our goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050," he predicted.
Entering into force in 2022, the RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific nations.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director of the China-ASEAN Studies Center at the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, attributed the rising trade volume to Cambodia's deepening integration into regional economic networks.
"RCEP's unified rules of origin are lowering trade barriers, boosting market access for Cambodian agricultural and manufactured products, and positioning the kingdom as an increasingly attractive destination for light manufacturing, foreign direct investment and regional supply chains," he noted. - Xinhua
