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Imported second-hand goods on sale at a shop in Phnom Penh. (Photo: phnompenhpost.com) |
China, Vietnam and Thailand shipped more than US$11.5 billion worth of goods to Cambodia, making up around 70.8 percent of the country’s total imports of US$16.3 billion in the first eight months of 2023, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) of Cambodia.
China topped the list with US$7.2 billion worth of exports to Cambodia or 43.9 percent of the total shipment, down 0.6 percent year-on-year. Imports from Vietnam, which fell 11.7 percent to US$2.5 billion, represented 15 percent of the total imports, whereas shipments from Thailand shrank 25.8 percent to US$1.9 billion or 11.9 percent of the share.
In the period, Cambodia reduced its spending on imports by 25.2 percent, the GDCE said, adding that Cambodia also imported products from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan (China), Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea.
Vice President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce Lim Heng said that the imports from China, Vietnam, and Thailand meet almost all of Cambodia’s needs, from food and daily necessities to electronics and large machinery, although the country also exports a lot of goods to those countries.
In the first eight months of 2023, the GDCE showed that Cambodia sold US$3.4 billion worth of goods to China, Vietnam, and Thailand, accounting for 21.9 percent of the total export value of US$15.7 billion.
