More than 60 local and multi-national companies are promoting their products and services this week at the Cambodian International Trade Fair.
Sok Siphana, secretary of state at the Ministry of Commerce, on Thursday kicked off the four-day trade fair by highlighting Cambodia’s economic progress. “We have moved in less than 10 years from being in complete economic isolation to membership in Asean. And we are now pushing to be a member of the [World Trade Organization],” he said.
Exhibitors at the Hotel Inter-Continental included Suzuki, MobiTel and Goodyear Malaysia Turbo Singapore. Telstra Big Pond, which featured 10 computers with high-speed Internet access, proved to be one of the most popular sites.
The fair was organized by Asia Pacific, a private company, with support from the Ministry of Commerce. The goal was to provide a venue for local businesses and overseas investors to discuss possible joint ventures, according to Hom Chhorn, assistant general manager at Asia Pacific.
Officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Council for the Development of Cambodia and the Ministry of Economy and Finance were on hand to answer investors’ questions about government regulations.
Sok Siphana noted that since membership in Asean, Cambodia has seen an increase in trade investment. “But we’ve also noticed a better quality, and more multi-national companies from Canada, US and Europe. Before Asean, we had investment, but not the long-term quality we wanted,” he said.
Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Seng Tong and Asia Pacific Resources Inc Managing Director Eric Limb also spoke at the opening ceremony.
