PHNOM PENH, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's trade volume with fellow ASEAN member states reached 11.68 billion U.S. dollars in the first seven months of 2026, marking a 20.7 percent increase from the 9.67 billion dollars recorded during the same period last year, according to a Ministry of Commerce report released Monday.
From January to July, the kingdom's exports to ASEAN countries grew slightly by 0.14 percent year-on-year to 3.54 billion dollars. Meanwhile, imports surged 32.6 percent to 8.14 billion dollars, the report said.
Regional trade accounted for 25.6 percent of Cambodia's total global trade volume, which stood at 45.48 billion dollars for the seven-month period.
Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia emerged as Cambodia's top five regional trading partners, the report said. Main exports included garments, footwear, travel goods, solar panels, car tires, electronics, and agricultural commodities like rice, cashew nuts, rubber latex, cassava, durians, and bananas.
Thong Mengdavid, deputy director at the China-ASEAN Studies Center of the Cambodia University of Technology and Science, attributed the growth to deepening regional economic integration.
He said that momentum is driven by stronger supply chains, expanding cross-border commerce, and regional frameworks like the ASEAN Economic Community and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
"Looking ahead, trade with ASEAN is expected to sustain double-digit growth, supported by improving regional demand, rising cross-border investment, and the continued expansion of regional manufacturing networks," he told Xinhua. ■