Economy

Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo addresses Nikkei's Future of Asia conference on May 27. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi urges quick rollout of China-backed trade bloc

At Nikkei forum, Hun Sen defends succession plan and denies China 'debt trap'

27 May 2022
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says that "Indonesia wants to make sure that the G-20 will serve as a catalyst for global economic recovery." (Photo by Suzu Takahashi)
The Future of Asia 2022

Indonesia's Jokowi aims to host successful G-20 despite Russia issue

President urges 'immediate' implementation of China-backed trade bloc

27 May 2022
An Aeon mall in Cambodia. The company anticipates shopping center tenants using its warehouse. (Photo courtesy of Aeon Mall)
Retail

Cambodia to be ASEAN logistics hub for Japan retailer Aeon

Nation's 1st bonded warehouse will let importers store products duty-free

8 January 2022
Cambodia's Sihanoukville port: The U.S. will review Cambodia's eligibility for a trade preference scheme vital to its export-reliant economy. (Photo by Vann Soben)
Trade

Cambodia faces hammer blow as U.S. plans trade preferences review

Washington cautions investors over corruption, organized crime and human rights

11 November 2021
People wait to get tested inside a red zone with strict lockdown measures in Phnom Penh on Apr. 30: in red zone areas many households took new, larger loans to cope with the economic stress.
Opinion

The microfinance debt crisis that is crushing Cambodia

International development agencies must act to protect borrowers' human rights

2 September 2021
Cambodian workers eat lunch outside a Chinese-operated factory in the Chinese-managed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the city of Sihanoukville, Cambodia .
International relations

Cambodia drawn ever closer to China a year after EU sanctions

US keeps up trade as Western counterweight to patron's pull

13 August 2021
Garment factory workers and staff wait to receive China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine at an industrial park in Phnom Penh.
Coronavirus

Cambodia garment workers ask global brands for pandemic aid

Unions say total of $393m in wages and severance have been lost

7 August 2021
Chea Serey, director general of the National Bank of Cambodia, speaks at the launch event of the central bank's "Bakong" digital currency, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in October, 2020.
Currencies

Cambodia aims to wean off US dollar dependence with digital currency

Southeast Asian country's 'Bakong' users grow amid COVID-driven digital shift

4 August 2021
A food seller sails her boat at Cai Rang floating market on Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, on May 5: more than 70 million people rely on the river for their livelihood.
Opinion

Why we should care about fate of the Mekong

Worsening environmental degradation will impact millions

12 July 2021
Bananas were Cambodia's first fresh fruit exported directly to China, starting in 2018, with shipments rising to $121 million last year from $8 million in 2019.
Agriculture

Can Cambodia's farmers reap the benefit of China trade deal?

Country's fruit growers dream of rivaling garments as top export earner

5 July 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
A view of an empty road near the Independence monument in Phnom Penh on Friday, during a 14-day citywide lockdown.
Economy

Cambodia's new COVID crisis clips growth prospects

Analysts cut GDP forecasts as outbreaks force government to lock down capital

19 April 2021
European Council President Charles Michel looks at a screen during an EU-China Leaders' video conference in Brussels on Dec. 30, 2020: European countries are captured by China's expanding importance.
Opinion

The end of European influence in Asia

EU proving increasingly irrelevant in a region dominated by China

26 January 2021
Dogs are crammed into cages like this and transported to slaughterhouses in Cambodia -- one of several Asian countries where their meat is consumed. Experts say the trade exacerbates the danger of rabies.
Asia Insight

Cambodia cools on dog meat as COVID puts Asia on disease alert

Bans in Siem Reap, China and India raise hopes for healthier, more humane future

27 October 2020
Rescue workers pull a boat through floodwaters on the outskirts of Phnom Penh on Oct. 16.  (Photo by Vann Soben)
Natural disasters

Cambodia floods put spotlight on risk of trading lakes for land

Poor planning in rush to develop worsens damage from climate change

26 October 2020
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attend a signing ceremony in Phnom Penh on Monday. 
Trade

China and Cambodia sign FTA on heels of EU sanctions

With few details released, deal could be more symbolic than practical

12 October 2020
Determined to snuff out such dissent, Cambodian authorities have targeted small demonstrations by youth activists, environmental campaigners and family members of imprisoned opposition politicians.
Asia Insight

Hun Sen cracks down on Cambodia's slow boiling pot of dissent

Authorities step up campaign of repression as economy reels from COVID fallout

22 September 2020
Apparel is one of Cambodia's largest exports, with over 40% of total shipments headed to the European Union.
Comment

Can Cambodia fill the gap left by EU sanctions with China FTA?

Rivalry between Beijing and the West comes to a head in Mekong Valley

20 September 2020
A garment factory in Phnom Penh. The sector has already suffered mass job suspensions after global consumer demand collapsed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trade

Cambodia loses EU trade privileges as it rushes FTA with China

Sanctions will hit nation's $10 billion garment and footwear sector

12 August 2020
Employees work at a factory supplier of the H&M brand in Kandal province, pictured in December 2018: the garment industry is one of the very few job creators in Cambodia.
Opinion

Asia's garment industry should drive post-COVID economic recovery

Rich Western and Asian nations must support millions of workers

25 July 2020
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has referred to exiled opposition leader Sam Rainsy's call for indebted people to hold their money as “propaganda” intended to “incite” people to stop making repayments.
Politics

Hun Sen to Cambodian banks: Seize property if borrowers won't pay

PM's comments follow opposition leader Sam Rainsy's call for passive resistance

26 June 2020
Garment workers sew clothes at a factory outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 27. (Photo by Masayori Ishikawa)
Trade

Cambodia garment factories call for wage cuts as pandemic bites

Unions reject appeal to government for temporary 'flexibility' on legal minimum pay

23 June 2020
A signing ceremony between Cambodian government and KrisEnergy in August 2017: the country is pinning its hopes on the Singapore-based company.
Opinion

Coronavirus is crushing Cambodia's dreams of oil wealth

Barrel price has fallen low and economic difficulties are mounting

8 June 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has slammed Cambodia's $9.5 billion apparel, footwear and travel goods sector.
Trade

EU set to reject Cambodia tariff relief plea

Garment industry set for 'one-two' punch as coronavirus hammers global demand

6 June 2020
A daughter and mother in a rice paddy near Svay Chek village, outside Phnom Penh, on May 7. The pandemic has revealed Cambodia's urgent need for a functioning welfare system.
Coronavirus

Cambodia avoids coronavirus carnage, but faces economic disaster

World Bank forecasts pandemic could sink nation into 1st contraction since 1994

3 June 2020