Cambodia

China to Invest in Cambodia?

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According to the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, a group of Yunnan province investors (in China) has been looking into Cambodian investment opportunities and has found the possibilities most favorable there. The delegation, led by deputy chief of China International Economic Development and Cooperation Office, Cao Junde, met with Cham Parasidh, the Cambodian Minister of Commerce and Vice Chair of the Council for the Development of Cambodia. According to an article in China Daily, the Ministry said that “some of the investors have showed their interest in investing in mining, oil and gas exploration, rice mill and hydro-electricity in Cambodia.” Anyway today, China is Cambodia’s largest foreign investor, with figures reaching $8bn by the end of last year. So it seems like it’s worth the two countries developing better ties as well.

Other Chinese Investments

In other areas of China, investments are being made in Cambodia too. The country’s east Jiangsu province has been looking into investment opportunities there also. The country’s Prime Minister, Hun Sen, is currently visiting China for five days and met with the secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in Nanjing, Luo Zhijun. Jiangsu has a lot to be proud of, having successfully worked hard to get China out of the global financial crisis. The rapid growth of China’s economy has also been beneficial to Cambodia. As well, according to a report in China Daily, Hun Sen said that the “Hongdou Group Co., Ltd., a Jiangsu-based enterprise in clothing, tire, biological pharmacy and real estate, is building an industrial park in Sihanoukville Province, southern Cambodia.” The PM is hopeful that both parties can work together “to develop the industrial park.”

Hun Sen has been working hard to establish and develop good relations between the two countries, especially in regards to “friendly communication, bilateral exchanges and cooperation.” Of course, the PM’s visit will only lead to a further development of “mutual understanding, promote pragmatic cooperation and establish a win-win relationship between the two countries.”

Thailand Cambodian Trade News

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Border Clashes Negatively Impact Trade

There’s going to be trouble with the Asian economy, and a lot of it. That’s if the situation between Thailand and Cambodia continues. Currently the border clashes there are so detrimental to good sentiments between the two countries, that even though trade is developing, without an end to these clashes, the market share of Thailand goods in Cambodia will be reduced.

According to Kasikorn Research Center (KRC), what will happen is that Thai exporters and potential business investors will lose confidence in placing their businesses in Cambodia. In addition, other countries will start putting pressure on them to take business elsewhere, especially Vietnam.

Good Trading Between Thailand and Cambodia

But it would be a real shame if things went sour. Investment between Thailand and Cambodia has been increasing continuously over the last few years from $1.4bn in 2007 to $2.5bn in 2010. Thailand has been benefitting from this vis-à-vis trade. In addition, trade between the two countries accounts for at least 70 percent of overall trade – that is a huge amount that would be devastating for both places if it things stopped going well.

It’s not all been great news though. In March 2011 there was only a slight increase in export volume. Also, due to border clashes, there was a drop from 34.9 percent in 2008 to 29.9 percent in 2009. There was a large plummet of Thai investment in Cambodia from the 2008 figure of $30.7m to the 2010 figure of $1m.

Vietnam-Cambodia Trade Figures

Consequently there was additional merchandise from Vietnam to the Cambodian market with an increase of 19.5 percent in 2008 to 23.7 percent in 2009. But Vietnamese exports to Cambodia also increased in 2010 by a significant 35.3 percent, culminating in $1.5bn. But anyway Vietnam ranks as Cambodia’s largest investor with “an accumulated investment value of around $49.5m. Thailand comes in second at $47.2m, and Singapore in third place at $24.9m.

So there is work to be done. It would clearly be a huge economic shame if the political situation between Thailand and Cambodia wasn’t resolved – and fast.