Hun Xen to oversee Vietnamese encroachment achievement in Cambodia

Cambodian, Vietnamese PM To Inaugurate Border Pillar

PHNOM PENH, June 21 (Bernama) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung will inaugurate a boundary pillar between the two country's provinces on June 24.

The kingdom's foreign ministry said in a press release the pillar is located at the terminus of the land boundary between Cambodia's Kampot province and Vietnam's Kien Giang province, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The inauguration is a part of joint activities to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Cambodia and Vietnam and the Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Year 2012," the ministry said.

The two prime ministers will also co-chair the third Cambodia-Vietnam Conference on Investment Promotion in Kien Giang province's capital Ha Tien after the inauguration ceremony.

Hun Xen to kowtow Nguyen Tan Dung on 24 June 2012 to hand over Cambodian territories to Vietnam

Tribunal Showing ‘Historic Truth’ About Vietnam: Hun Sen - អាយ៉ងយួន ជួយសាទរអាញ៉ឺងមេវា

Cambodian military officials line up in front the top leaders of Khmer Rouge portraits, from right, former Khmer Rouge Foreign Minister Ieng Sary, former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan, and former Deputy Secretary Nuon Chea, during the second day of trial of the U.N.-backed war crimes tribunal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011. Three senior leaders of Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime on Tuesday continue to be questioned at the U.N.-backed tribunal over their roles in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people when their movement held power in the 1970s. (Photo: AP)

Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh

“The trial of the Pol Pot regime is clarifying the help of Vietnam for Cambodia and is fair.” (sic!)

Prime Minister Hun Sen met with a senior Vietnamese official on Tuesday, assuring him that the UN-backed Khmer Rouge tribunal now under way was helping Cambodians understand Vietnam’s role against the regime.

In a meeting with Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam’s central committee, Hun Sen said the current trial of three Khmer Rouge leaders now underway at the court exhibited the “historic truth” for Vietnam, according to a spokesman for the premier.

Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan and Ieng Sary are facing atrocity crimes charges at the court, including genocide. In recent testimony, Nuon Chea, the chief ideologue of the regime, defended the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia, saying it had been to fight off Vietnamese encroachment.

[Vietcong] Food products flow to Cambodia following floods

Mon, November 21, 2011
Tuoi Tre news (Hanoi)

Traders in the Mekong Delta provinces have been busily collecting and exporting rice and other agricultural products to Cambodia to make up for the shortage caused by recent floods in the country.

Traders have blocked the Vinh Te canal at the Tinh Bien border gate in An Giang Province, waiting to buy rice from local farmers before heading to Cambodia, Sai Gon Tiep Thi reported.

They said demand for rice is very high in Cambodia and Thailand, both of which have been affected by devastating floods.

“Local farmers are happy since they can sell at good prices,” Nam Nhon, a trader in Chau Doc town, said.

One way Viet trade with Cambodia grows by 56.7%

Cambodia trade grows by 56.7%

VNS (Hanoi)

HCM CITY — Trade between Cambodia and Viet Nam was worth US$1.35 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 56.7 per cent, trade officials said.

Addressing the Vietnamese Business Forum organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam Le Danh Vinh said trade and transit agreements signed between the two countries have helped promote their commercial links.

Trade between the two countries topped $1.82 billion last year, while Cambodia licensed 89 Vietnamese FDI projects worth nearly $2 billion.

The Viet ambassador meets Viet businesses in Phnom Penh, would the Xmer ambassador dare to meet Khmer Krom in Prey Nokor?

Meeting with Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia held

12/23/2010
VOV News (Hanoi)

A meeting with Vietnamese businesses took place in Cambodia on December 23.

Addressing the event, Ngo Anh Dung, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia, reviewed the achievements and advantages in multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in 2010.

Two-way trade turnover in the first 11 months of 2010 reached over US$1.5 billion. Vietnam’s exports turnover to Cambodia gained US$1.3 billion, up 36 percent compared to the same period last year.

Currently, Vietnamese investments in Cambodia are worth nearly US$570 million, mainly in such fields as rubber planting, industrial crops, aviation, banking, services and tourism.

At the meeting, Vietnamese businesses expressed their hope that in 2011, the two governments will continue to simplify the trade and investment procedures to increase the value of trade exchange to reach US$2 billion.

New legislation to facilitate trade with Vietnam, China

Vehicle dealers at Great Wall, based on Monireth Boulevard in Phnom Penh, say they hope that the new consular offices in China increase trade and help secure better tax arrangements. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan)

Friday, 07 May 2010
Kim Yuthana and May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post

Six more Cambodian consular offices in China could spark new investment

TWO draft laws aimed at facilitating trade between Cambodia, China and Vietnam are to be passed by the National Assembly today, officials say.

Cheam Yeap, Cambodian People’s Party member of parliament and chairman of the National Assembly’s fifth committee, said Thursday that a consular treaty with China and a law on waterway transportation with Vietnam are due to be approved this morning.

The China deal will see six Cambodian consular offices opened in major cities across the People’s Republic, helping potential investors learn more about the Kingdom.

The lawmaker told the Post that approval of the draft law is vitally important for the two countries to boost bilateral trade.

“The general consulates, which will represent the Cambodian Embassy in Beijing and Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, would communicate information with Chinese investors who are interested in coming to Cambodia,” said Cheam Yeap.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Koy Kuong added that the new offices “will bring a lot of benefit” to Cambodia’s economy.

Figures released by the International Monetary Fund late last year, using data from the National Bank of Cambodia, show that Cambodia is strengthening its economic ties with China.

Merchandise imports from China have risen every year for the previous nine years, rising from just US$86.9 million in 2001 to $1.2 billion in 2008.

Chinese investors – who have a large presence in Cambodia – praised the move Thursday.

Chairman and CEO of Phnom Penh’s Worldwide Garage, Peang Mann, who imports cars made by the Great Wall firm, said he will appreciate the establishment of new consular offices and hopes it will help facilitate greater dialogue on import tax.

“It will be good for us if we have very good cooperation [with China] in terms of import and exports, especially if the new establishment can urge many Chinese banks to allow us to get loans for making more exports from China,” he said.

He added that if the establishments are successful in boosting favourable business, the firm will increase car imports from 200 to 300 this year.

Ministry of Commerce Undersecretary of State Em Sophoan said Thursday that he supports the signing of the laws, and that they will boost trade relations between the three countries.

“It is good for us that we can carry out trade activities smoothly going forward, especially as it will help to distribute development in our country,” he said.

A representative from the Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh did not reply to an emailed request for comment Thursday.

The deal with Vietnam will pass into law a waterway-transportation agreement that covers customs, transportation and commercial dealings in Cambodia.

“It will help facilitate the transportation of goods such as agricultural products, general goods and oil to and from the two countries along the Mekong River and by sea,” Cheam Yeap said.

In the first two months of this year, trade with Vietnam rose by 54.8 percent to $262.7 million, compared to $169.7 million in the same period of 2009, according Vietnamese Embassy data released in March.

VN exhibits goods in Cambodia

April, 03 2010
VNS (Hanoi)

HA NOI — A fair showcasing high-quality Vietnamese products and exports will take place in Phnom Penh from today until Wednesday.

The fair, the ninth of its kind, is not only for trade promotion but also for Vietnamese businesses to showcase the quality of their products in the neighbouring market.

Business Studies and Assistance Centre director Vu Kim Hanh said this year's event was expected to attract a larger number of entries than previous years.

Various cultural, sports and social activities will be held on the occasion, such as art performances and the provision of free medical checks-up and medicines for the poor in Phnom Penh, Kandal and Takeo provinces, Hanh said.

As part of the fair, Cambodian distributors and agents will meet with producers and entrepreneurs from Viet Nam to seek partnerships and increase Vietnamese investments in the country.

Cambodian commercial counsellor in Viet Nam Yea Kim Hen said Viet Nam now had an opportunity as Cambodian consumers were shifting from Thai to Vietnamese products.

The market share for Vietnamese goods in Cambodia had climbed by 40 per cent over the past three years with aquatic products, construction steel and processed farm produce taking the lead.

Viet Nam's exports to Cambodia include instant noodles, plastics products, cigarettes, confectioneries, maize seed, home appliances, fruits and vegetables, construction steel, agricultural machines, fertilisers, pesticides, consumer goods and processed farm produce.

Viet Nam imports mainly garment materials, automobile spare parts and wood and rubber from Cambodia.

The two countries have set a target of US$2 billion in two-way trade this year.

[Vietnam Yuon]Trade with Cambodia falls by 18.7%

February, 05 2010
VNS (Hanoi)

HA NOI — Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Cambodia reached just US$1.33 billion last year, reflecting a year-on-year decrease of 18.7 per cent, according to the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.

Viet Nam's exports to Cambodia – which included textiles and garments, consumer goods and construction materials – dropped by more than 19 per cent to $1.14 billion, while Cambodian exports to Viet Nam, mainly agricultural products, went down by 15.5 per cent to $186 million.

Nguon Meng Tech, the chamber's chairman, blamed the global economic downturn for reduced consumer spending.

He said there were plenty of investment opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises in Cambodia this year, but that it would be difficult for the two countries to reach their targeted $2 billion trade turnover this year.

Prior to the crisis, Vietnamese exports to Cambodia had been rising by 40 per cent annually. Export turnover was five times higher than import costs.

More than 100 Vietnamese companies are now operating in Cambodia, mostly in agro-forestry, services and industrial sectors. In Viet Nam, many Cambodian companies are also doing business with local companies, including Golden Eagle Meng Sun Fish Sauce Enterprise, LyLy Food Industry and Sin Tai Seng Tea-Coffee factory.

Late last year, three more border gates were opened in an attempt to boost trade and tourism between the two countries.

Xa Mat Gate is located in Tay Ninh Province, Tinh Bien Gate in An Giang Province and Ha Tien Gate in Kien Giang Province, all in southern Viet Nam.

The move was part of an agreement signed between the two countries in 2005 to open seven border gates on the two countries' border to increase trade turnover.

Yuon tries to wrestle Cambodian market away from Siem

Border fairs target Cambodian market

February, 04 2010
VNS (Hanoi)

AN GIANG — The Business Studies and Assistance Centre and southern An Giang Province's Investment and Trade Promotion Centre held two trade fairs to promote Vietnamese goods at the Khanh Binh and Tinh Bien border gates.

Vu Kim Hanh, director of the BSA – a non-profit trade promotion organisation based in HCM City – said they were the first step in a programme of 10 trade fairs on the Cambodian border through which high-quality Vietnamese goods would be popularised.

The network of markets and retail outlets on the border was too meagre and supply could not meet demand, she said.

"Many Cambodians come shopping to the Vietnamese border outlets daily."

It is to take advantage of this demand that the BSA, along with An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Tay Ninh, and Binh Phuoc Provinces, plans to organise the 10 fairs.

Besides selling goods, the fairs will also enable Vietnamese enterprises to get in touch with Cambodian authorities for developing distribution networks in the country.

They will also make preparation for enterprises to take part in the Trade Fair of High Quality Vietnamese Goods in Cambodia next April.

A survey last August by the BSA and Truong Doan Market Survey Company in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh and Battambang and Ta Keo Provinces found that many Vietnamese products have become more popular than their Thai and Chinese rivals.

Vietnamese dried foods, spices, frozen processed products, household plastic items, exterior and interior decoration items, toilet equipment, footwear, and leather and leatherette products hold between 33 and 93 per cent of that market.

Its milk and milk products, tinned foods, soft drinks, beers, wines, rubber products, and fabrics are as popular as Thai products and more popular than Chinese.

Viet Nam can grab a larger market share if its firms come up with improved designs and packaging, lower prices, and strengthen promotion, the survey pointed out.

Trade with Vietnam fell by nearly 19pc in 2009

Shoppers pass in front of Vina Mart, a store selling Vietnamese-produced goods on Monivong Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Tuesday. Imports from Cambodia's neighbour fell more than 19 percent last year. (Photo by: Uy Nousereimony)

Wednesday, 03 February 2010
May Kunmakara
The Phnom Penh Post

Regional downturn

• Trade with Vietnam falls 19.7pc in 2009
• Bigger slump with Thailand saw 22.15pc fall last year

Despite a small recovery in volumes during the final quarter, bilateral trade suffered due to the global crisis, body reports

If we still have a problem with Thailand, Vietnam will have more of a chance to win market share."

FALLOUT from the global economic crisis is to blame for an 18.7 percent slump in bilateral trade between the Kingdom and Vietnam, the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) said Tuesday.

Official figures from the Vietnam Embassy in Phnom Penh, released to the Post on Tuesday, showed that trade between the neighbours dropped to US$1.332 billion in 2009, from $1.640 billion in 2008.

Cambodia’s main exports of unprocessed agricultural products plummeted 15.5 percent, to $186 million from $220 million.

Vietnam’s exports of garment and construction materials, homemade goods and processed foods were down more than 19 percent, to $1.146 billion from $1.420 billion in 2008, the figures showed.

Nguon Meng Tech, director general of the CCC, said the decline in bilateral trade was due to the global economic crisis hurting consumption.
“We recognise that ... the global crisis impacts people’s demand,” he said.

Lee Bien Cuong, commercial counsellor at the Vietnam Embassy, explained that the impact of the financial crisis was “severely felt” in the export of goods to supply the Kingdom’s garment and real-estate sectors, both of which were hit hard by the international downturn.

Vietnamese exports of garment materials tumbled by more than 10 percent and exports of construction materials dropped about 6 percent.

But Lee Bien Cuong said he remained hopeful that a recovery is due after trade levels began to recover from October. In December bilateral trade hit $160 million.

“If the figures remain positive, I believe that we will reach our plan of ... $2 billion in bilateral trade by the end of this year,” he said.

Nguon Meng Tech added that the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Thailand and Cambodia over former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra may, in future, help boost Vietnam’s business presence in Cambodia.

“If [Cambodians] still have a problem with Thailand, Vietnam will have more of a chance to win market share in our country,” he said, adding that the effects of the dispute had not been felt in trade as yet because international borders have remained open.

Bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand declined an annualised 22.15 percent in 2009 to $1.658 billion from $2.130 billion, according to figures from the Thai Embassy’s Foreign Trade Promotion Office (FTPO) in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia’s exports to Thailand declined 13.84 percent to $77.73 million from $90.22 million in 2008, while imports from Thailand fell 22.52 percent to $1.58 billion from $2.04 billion over the same period.

Sok Sopheak, director general of the International Trade Department, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Hanoi pushes Phnom Penh to remove trade barriers so that it can increase export to Cambodia

Vietnam, Cambodia endeavour to increase border trade

03/16/2009
VOV News (Hanoi)

A second meeting on promoting border trade cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on March 16.

Delegates to the meeting had been scheduled to assess the results of bilateral cooperation in this field since the first meeting of this kind in the Vietnamese province of Long An in January 2008.

They also discussed measures to remove barriers to border trade activities, including those relating to customs, border gate management, and transit procedures, with the final goal of raising bilateral trade revenue this year to more than US$2 billion.

In 2008, Vietnam and Cambodia posted US$1.7 billion in two-way trade, of which border trade made up 65 percent.

Vietnam wants a share in every aspect of Cambodia's economy: from oil and gas to agriculture

Vietnam to boost economic cooperation with Cambodia

VIENTIANE, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to beef up their cooperation, especially in the fields of oil and gas, electricity, mining, cash crop cultivation, and construction material production.

During the meeting between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen here Sunday, on the occasion of their attention to the 3rd Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) Summit, they have agreed to accelerate Vietnamese-backed projects in Cambodia.

Trade between Vietnam and Cambodia should reach 2 billion U.S. dollars in 2010, said the two prime ministers.

The two sides have also agreed to finish their land border demarcation in 2012 as scheduled, and closely cooperate in dealing with some other issues, including those on using Mekong water resource.

Starting on Sunday, the two-day summit with the theme of "Enhancement of Competitiveness via Greater Connectivity" will focus its discussion on strengthening transport connectivity, boosting cooperation between public and private sectors, implementing sustainable environment management and enhancing cooperation for GMS developments. GMS members include Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and China.

Vietnam, Cambodia trade set to increase 27 percent [-A one-way trade?]

01/18

An Giang (VNA) – Viet Nam and Cambodia have set a target of increasing their two-way trade by 27 percent to 2.3 billion USD by 2010 and to 6.5 billion USD five years later.

These targets were released at a Viet Nam-Cambodia border trade conference in the Mekong delta province of An Giang on January 16, which was attended by representatives from central and local governments of the two countries.

Addressing the conference, Viet Nam ’s Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Nguyen Cam Tu said much remains to be done by the two governments, localities and businesses to achieve the target.

He also mentioned a number of difficulties in cross-border trade between the two countries, including poor transport systems, equipment and facilities.

Participants at the conference proposed that the two governments create a more convenient legal foundation for the development of cross-border trade and transport, loan provision for developing transport systems and facilities at border markets and economic zones.

They also called for the exemption of visas for people in border provinces, the simplification of import-export and investment procedures, and cooperation to build border markets and economic zones and transport systems.

Viet Nam exported 1.2 billion USD worth of commodities to Cambodia last year, a 6.5-fold increase of 2001. Cambodia is now Viet Nam ’s 16 th largest importer, buying mostly home alliance, vegetables and fruits, confectionaries, plastics, cigarettes and detergent.

Viet Nam is Cambodia’s third largest export market, importing chiefly home electric appliance, interior decorations, garment accessories and auto parts.