Cambodia Seeks Foreign Investment Amid Economic Pressures

Cambodia is aiming to attract hundreds of millions, or possibly billions, of dollars in new investment from the United States and South Korea as the national economy faces mounting pressure. The challenges include a decline in foreign tourist arrivals, higher fuel prices linked to conflict in the Middle East, technology-enabled fraud and online scams, and the continuing border dispute with Thailand. Local media reported on Tuesday that Prime Minister Hun Manet and Senate President Hun Sen, who also leads the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, met delegations representing American businesses and the South Korean Chamber of Commerce to discuss investment opportunities in Cambodia. Talks with the South Korean delegation focused on expanding investment, supported by recent growth in bilateral trade. The Asia News Network reported that trade between Cambodia and South Korea reached about 600 million US dollars in 2025, an increase of nearly 37 percent. South Korean exports to Cambodia were valued at almost 400 million dollars, while Cambodian exports to South Korea exceeded 200 million dollars. Meanwhile, the environmental group Mother Nature Cambodia said sand dredging and exports to Singapore had resumed. In 2016, nearly 50 civil society organisations wrote to government ministers Suy Sem and Dith Tina, seeking information about hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected lost revenue from sand exports. The groups also asked for details on the volume of sand removed from Cambodia between 2007 and 2025. Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Ministry of Commerce have still not provided a public explanation. The Japan Times reported on July 20 that Japan had also provided Cambodia with three million dollars in assistance. The funding is intended to support maritime patrol operations and improve military communications for the Cambodian army. Source: Cambodia Daily