Economy and commerce

The trade deficit of Cambodia has reached $1.02 billion for the first six months of the year or 48.63 percent according to the Ministry of Commerce. This is as a result of exports increasing 50 percent based on year-on-year data. According to Chan Sophal, president ...

Sihanoukville Autonomous Port has seen an increase of 520 percent in the amount of construction machinery being imported. According to Chea Sambath, director of the port’s planning and statistics department, the increase is as a result of the increased investment in roads, hydropower dams and ...

2,000 some fashionistas from around Asia will descend on Phnom Penh in October for 10 days during the country’s first fashion event, costing an estimated $1 million. According to Sophy Ke, president of the Cambodia Fashion Council, Cambodia Fashion Week is intended to increase domestic ...

Hung Wah Cambodia Garment factory has been temporarily closed by its management after a second mass fainting spell of its floor workers. Authorities have asked that the factory close for a short time in order for the workers to have an opportunity to relax. There ...

Government approval has been granted to the Overseas Cambodia Investment Corporation (OCIC) for the development of high-end condominiums, a hotel, shopping mall and more on the land surrounding the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. OCIC is in the process of obtaining a 99 year lease ...

Cambodia is concerned that US debt could lead to rising import costs. US lawmakers are currently trying to pass a deficit-cut deal before Aug. 2 when the US reaches its own debt ceiling of $14.3 trillion. Without a deal the US would default on its ...

According to human rights group Adhoc, five agro-farming concessions granted to Chinese firms are adversely affecting 3,000 families in Preah Vihear province. The concessions have come with warnings of possible land disputes and potential protests. Prime Minister Hun Sen granted the economic land concessions to ...

The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications implemented a law preventing mobile phone service providers from selling at less than cost over a year and a half ago, though the companies are still lowering their tariffs in an effort to remain competitive in the highly saturated ...

In an effort to increase Khmer film production the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is going to build a state-run cinema next to the Chaktomuk Conference Hall. Recently Westec Media opened a cinema, the first offering 3D movies in Cambodia, at City Mall in ...

The high number of approved projects in the tourism sector is a sign of optimism according to Minister of Tourism Thong Khon. Due to emphasis on areas beyond Angkor Wat, Cambodia’s GDP could largely be a result of tourism. The current 57 projects are worth ...

Prices for Vietnamese goods are increasing driving up demand for lower cost Cambodian goods. Exports to Cambodia’s neighbor have increased by more than 84 percent for the beginning of 2011, totaling some $247 million according to the Vietnam Trade Office. Inflation is rising in Vietnam ...

ANZ Royal Bank is seeking a larger part in handling transitions involving the Chinese yuan as the currency becomes more prevalent. Exports who bill their clients in yuan are being granted tax rebates of between 15 and 18 percent by the Chinese government. A service ...

Textile workers at the Supertex factory are considering holding another strike because their compensation demands have not been met during an Arbitration Council hearing. Previously Supertex announced it was closing its factory without having given prior notice, prompting the 1,600 works to seek arbitration. With ...

The exploitation of women who work as beer promoters is soon to be exposed in a report that is going to be released by Care Cambodia and the Solidarity Association of Beer Promoters in Cambodia. The report will include first had accounts and interviews of ...

Ly Yong Phat and his company LYP Group have been ordered to cease all dredging operations on the Tatai river pending a review of the effects by the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology. LYP Group currently has a permit to dredge seven areas of ...

Mortgages are increasingly being used by home buyers in Cambodia according to experts. Commercial banks had slowed direct loans to property development in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis, though mortgage lending has increasingly filled the space, said National Valuers Association of Cambodia ...

The rail link to Vietnam from Cambodia has been estimated at $686 million dollars. The link would finally connect Singapore to Kunming, China. The $686 million does not include compensation for those who link along the proposed railway locations and no funding has been confirmed ...

There has been a 13 percent increase to Cambodia’s two international airports since the beginning of the year. The USA, China, South Korea and Vietnam along with Japan were the key factors in this growth. The government’s attempts to attract visitors and investors is cited ...

ASEAN Valuers Association have reported that property prices in Cambodia have not changed since 2009. Property prices in Phnom Penh are 2 percent lower than they were in 2009. CEO of Bonna Realty Group Sung Bonna has said that investors should take advantage of low ...

Illegal Thai mobile phone services have been ordered by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications to cease their services inside of Cambodia. The services are being relayed as far as 100km within the border of Cambodia through a series of illegally constructed cell towers. qb ...

The Ministry of Tourism has asked bars, restaurants and hotels to ban smoking within their establishments in order to promote a better environment, health and reduce poverty. Tourists will feel safer according to deputy director Sam Chanren if there is a smoking ban. The directive ...

The number of people arriving in Cambodia through the nation’s airports has passed the 2007 number for the same period, providing proof of recovery from the financial crisis. The levels reached 1.8 million passengers for Siem Reap and Phnom Penh international airports. Traffic through Cambodian ...

OZ Minerals, the Australian mining company is reviewing its assets in Cambodia and is so far not planning any further work in the country. Their assessment of gold reserves in the country will be updated by the end of the year at which time the ...

A 10 year strategic plan designed to ensure financial stability in Cambodia has been released by the central bank to much skepticism. The $700,000 study sponsored by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is said to be short on details even though it calls for the ...