Phnom penh: H.E. Mrs. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce of Cambodia, presided over the opening ceremony of the Malaysia-Cambodia Business Seminar and B2B Meetings in conjunction with the Export Acceleration Mission (EAM) to Cambodia 2026, at Hyatt Regency Hotel, Phnom Penh, on Aug. 19. The event was attended by H.E. Dr. Othsman Hassan, Senior Minister in charge of Special Mission, H.E. Shaharuddin Bin Onn, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Cambodia, H.E. Dato' Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Chairman of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), as well as senior officials, business leaders, and companies from both countries, all gathered to explore new opportunities for trade and business partnerships.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the Cambodian Commerce Minister expressed her appreciation for the Government of Malaysia, the Embassy of Malaysia in Phnom Penh, MATRADE, and all organizing partners for their continued efforts to strengthen Cambodia-Malaysia economic relations. H.E. Mrs. Cham Nimul highlighted the strong momentum in bilateral trade, noting that the two-way trade reached approximately US$1.08 billion in 2025, marking an increase of nearly 25 percent compared to US$865 million in 2024, thereby surpassing the US$1 billion mark, as previously committed by both sides.
During the first seven months of 2026, bilateral trade rose by 58.27 percent to approximately US$947 million. H.E. Minister emphasized that the strong trade performance reflects the growing complementarity between the two economies and called for deeper cooperation beyond trade volumes toward investment, joint production, technology cooperation, supply-chain connectivity, and SME participation.
She identified key areas with strong potential for further collaboration, including consumer goods, agro-processing, healthcare, green energy, digital services, logistics, and the halal economy. She encouraged stronger institutionalized business-to-business engagement through targeted business matching, market intelligence, trade promotion, and investment facilitation.
H.E. Minister also highlighted Cambodia's efforts to create a more open, predictable, transparent, and business-friendly environment through the simplification and digitalization of commercial services, as well as continued investment in infrastructure and connectivity. Additionally, she underscored the potential for enhanced cooperation in the halal sector, following the Ministry of Commerce's nationwide campaign launched on July 31, 2026, to promote and facilitate registration with the Cambodian Halal Product Inspection Committee.
H.E. Minister reaffirmed the Ministry of Commerce's readiness to work closely with MATRADE, the Embassy of Malaysia, Malaysian business associations, the Cambodian private sector, and other relevant partners to translate the strong bilateral relationship into concrete commercial opportunities. She called on businesses from both countries to turn 'market access into market presence' and 'business contacts into commercial partnerships' for shared economic growth and prosperity.