Trade policy and regulation

Civil society groups and associations released a public statement on Tuesday expressing concern over the EU starting the process to withdraw Cambodia’s access to its preferential “Everything But Arms” (EBA) agreement, as a delegation from the bloc landed in Phnom Penh the same day. ...

An Eu delegation is set to arrive in Phnom Penh next week for a two-day official visit to discuss the process for withdrawing Cambodia’s access to its preferential ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) agreement, officials said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, analysts have called on the EU to ...

Rice exports last month were five per cent lower than in January last year, after a full year of decline in 2018. However, a sector insider said it is not a major concern because it is only the beginning of 2019. A report from the ...

The EU on Monday announced that it has begun the 18-month process of withdrawing the Kingdom’s access to its preferential Everything But Arms (EBA) agreement over “a deterioration of democracy [and] respect for human rights”. ...

Today (Tuesday) marks the final day for the EU Commission for Trade to receive the opinions of the EU bloc’s 28 member-states before deciding whether to suspend the Everything But Arms (EBA) tariff preferences for Cambodia. However a unanimous decision will be required to withdraw ...

Private companies have expressed their “deepest concerns” over the potential withdrawal of the Everything But Arms (EBA) preferential scheme. In a joint letter to the European Commission, they said the move will negatively impact the Kingdom. The letter, signed by 40 of the Kingdom’s private ...

Cambodians may be able to market rice in the EU tariff-free if they sell the semi-processed grain to European millers instead of finished products to end consumers, as the former is still subject to a zero tax rate, said an exporter. ...

Air conditioner imports from Thailand were valued at about $16 million last year – a fraction of the total $5 billion Thailand earned from its air conditioner exports to international markets, the country’s Department of International Trade Promotion at the Ministry of Commerce said. ...

The Cambodian rice sector is set to lose its duty-free export status to the EU today – its major rice market – after the European bloc decided to impose tariffs on rice from Cambodia and Myanmar to curb a surge in such imports. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen recently unveiled a new campaign to boost economic independence and reduce the reliance on preferential trade statuses offered by advanced countries, saying the government will provide better trade facilitation and eliminate unnecessary procedures. At a dinner with 5,000 Cambodian journalists on Friday, ...

Two US senators on Wednesday introduced the Cambodian Trade Act of 2019 bill, requiring the administration to re-examine Cambodia’s eligibility to access the preferential trade treatment granted by the US under the General System of Preferences (GSP). ...

Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand reached $3.16 billion in the first nine months – an increase of 14.08 per cent year-on-year. Imports to Cambodia were worth $2.65 billion, representing a 19.26 per cent increase in contrast with exports to Thailand that was valued at ...

Moody’s Investors Services has warned that Cambodia’s potential loss of its Everything But Arms (EBA) preferential trade access to the EU would weaken its economic growth and lead to a credit negative, a report released on Saturday says. It notes that while Cambodia maintained its ...

After meeting with the European Commission, Prime Minister Hun Sen said he had expected that Cambodia would one day lose its access to the bloc’s “Everything But Arms” (EBA) preferential trade agreement and had “already requested low interest” loans from China, Japan, South Korea and ...

A senior Labour Ministry official said a withdrawal of the preferential Everything But Arms (EBA) trade agreement with the EU would not hurt the Kingdom’s economy. Ministry spokesman Heng Suor said the government had prepared plans in the event of an EBA withdrawal. However, he ...

The Kingdom on Thursday signed a joint phytosanitary protocol for banana exports to China, with officials saying this was the first move in promoting the product on the world stage. The agreement was signed by the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia Xiong Bo and Agriculture Minster ...

A European Union (EU) mission met with senior government officials at the Ministry of Interior on Tuesday as the 28-member bloc monitors an agreement under which Cambodian goods reach the crucial European market tariff-free. ...

Representatives of Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam gathered yesterday in Phnom Penh to discuss ways of improving trading procedures in Asean, particularly in agricultural goods, as part of a workshop organised by German development agency GIZ. ...

Germany’s international development agency (GIZ) held a workshop on Tuesday that promoted Cambodian agricultural exports to China, focusing on the necessary export guidelines and the sanitation standards that are often lacking in the Kingdom’s agricultural value chains. ...

The Commerce Ministry officially launched a program yesterday giving the authority to issue certificate of origin licences to four provinces along the Thai border, potentially expediting the export process for agricultural businesses in the region. ...

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia (SECC) has decided to slash transaction fees on derivative trading, a move the SECC claims will help spur future trades. ...

A European Parliament resolution last week calling for the possible suspension of Cambodia’s preferential trade status prompted a strong reaction from Prime Minister Hun Sen, who yesterday sternly dared the bloc to “cut it!” Speaking to garment factory workers on Koh Pich yesterday, the premier said Cambodia would ...

The National Assembly yesterday passed a trade remedy law that aims to protect and help local and foreign businesses by introducing anti-dumping measures that prevent the “dishonest” import of goods and produce from neighbouring countries, according to a press release. ...

Cambodia inked a memorandum of understanding with China yesterday that aims at providing better facilities for trademark and brand registration in both countries. ...