April 14, 2026
PHNOM PENH – China plays an increasingly important role as a supplier to Cambodia. In the first quarter of 2026, Cambodia imported nearly $4.7 billion worth of goods from China, an increase of about 25% compared to the same period in 2025.
This accounted for more than half of the Kingdom’s total imports.
The General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) reported that in Q1 2026, total trade between Cambodia and China reached nearly $5.16 billion, up 26.8% compared to the $4.07 billion reported in Q1 2025. Cambodia exported $459.46 million worth of goods to China, up 32%, while Chinese imports amounted to $4.5 billion, up 26.3%.
This mean Cambodia recorded a trade deficit of $4.24 billion, up from $3.37 billion in the same period last year.
Imports from China accounted for 53.16% of the $8.83 billion of the Kingdom’s Q1 imports.
Hong Vanak, an economist at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, told The Post that geographical proximity, strong diplomatic ties, and bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements — including the Cambodia-China FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) — have made China Cambodia’s largest supplier of goods. He added that the presence of many Chinese owned factories and enterprises in Cambodia has also driven the import of raw materials and components for further processing and export.
“If we look at the trade balance, Cambodia indeed runs a large deficit. However, this is not a concern because most imported goods from China are raw materials for factories,” he added.
Key imports from China include
Aside from raw materials for factories and enterprises, Cambodia imports daily consumer goods, food and beverages, vehicles, machinery, construction materials, and electrical equipment from China, while mainly exporting agricultural products, furniture and textile products.
According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) showed that in 2025, China ranked as the Kingdom’s top investor, contributing approximately 54.25% of the $10 billion total invested that year. Cambodian investors ranked second with 31.27%, followed by Singapore, at 5.99%.
According to GDCE data, total Cambodia-China trade reached $19.73 billion in 2025, an increase of 29.9% over 2024. Chinese imports were $18.04 billion, up 34.3%, while exports to China totalled $1.68 billion, down 3.6%.