Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

MATRADE HOLDS DIALOGUE TO BOOST TRADE BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND CAMBODIA

FRIDAY, JUNE 3rd, 2016 KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), in collaboration with the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC) organises the Malaysia-Cambodia Business Dialogue at Menara MATRADE today. The dialogue is held in conjunction with the Official Visit by Prime Minister of Cambodia, H.E Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen to Malaysia from 1 to 4 June 2016.

The Business Dialogue is jointly led by Minister of Commerce Cambodia, H.E Pan Sorasak and Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed. Aimed at creating a platform for exchange of views, the session also offers an opportunity for captains of industry to deliberate on issues relating to bilateral trade and investment of both countries.

Attended by 200 selected participants comprising C-level executives of Malaysian companies and various government agencies, the dialogue features presentations by the Minister Delegate attached to Prime Minister & Secretary General of the Council for Development of Cambodia, H.E. Sok Chenda Sophea and the President of Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, Neak Oknha Kith Meng who both spoke on investment and trade opportunities in Cambodia for Malaysian companies.

Complementing this is the attendance of a Cambodian delegation which consists of 17 Cambodian companies and a Cambodian media.

Malaysia as a member of ASEAN, is pushing for greater intra-ASEAN trade and Cambodia has been identified as one of the promising markets for Malaysian exporters to tap into. With the materialisation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), an increasing number of regional integration initiatives have been carried out which have contributed to the liberalisation and development of ASEAN.

“We had formally established the AEC last year and recently hosted the World Economic Forum on ASEAN. It is important that we continue the momentum in pushing the Regional agenda forward. Closer collaboration amongst ASEAN members will boost our efficiency and competitiveness in various sector,” said Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed.

Chief Executive Officer of MATRADE, Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud in the meantime said, “With MATRADE’s network of 46 offices worldwide, of which 7 are in ASEAN, Malaysian companies can be connected to high-potential business partners in various countries including Cambodia. This dialogue will offer them a chance to better understand the Cambodian market and this hopefully will be a catalyst to a symbiotic business relationship between the players in both nations.”

Malaysia’s bilateral trade with Cambodia continues to expand. In 2015, Malaysia’s trade with Cambodia increased by 8.3 percent to US$385.8 million (RM1.5 billion) from 2014. Malaysia’s exports to Cambodia consisted largely of textiles, manufactures of metal, processed food and chemicals whereas the imports consisted mainly of rubber, rice, textiles, clothing and footwear.

The dialogue, organised for the first time by MATRADE, is an embodiment of the government’s effort to realise more trade and investment opportunities with Cambodia through strategic partnerships.

Malaysian companies keen to venture to Cambodia are urged to contact MATRADE via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . This year, MATRADE is organising 150 programme comprising export promotion activities (85) and exporters’ development programme (65), of which 37 activities will take place in ASEAN.