China, Vietnam and Thailand shipped more than 11.5 billion USD worth of goods to Cambodia, making up around 70.8% of the country’s total imports of 16.3 billion USD in the first eight months of 2023, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) of Cambodia.

Imported second-hand goods on sale at a shop in Phnom Penh. (Photo: phnompenhpost.com)

China, Vietnam and Thailand shipped more than 11.5 billion USD worth of goods to Cambodia, making up around 70.8% of the country’s total imports of 16.3 billion USD in the first eight months of 2023, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) of Cambodia.

China topped the list with 7.2 billion USD worth of exports to Cambodia or 43.9% of the total shipment, down 0.6% year-on-year. Imports from Vietnam, which fell 11.7% to 2.5 billion USD, represented 15% of the total imports, whereas shipments from Thailand shrank 25.8% to 1.9 billion USD or 11.9% of the share.

In the period, Cambodia reduced its spending on imports by 25.2%, 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 3.4 billion USD worth of goods to China, Vietnam and Thailand, accounting for 21.9% of the total export value of 15.7 billion USD./.