Pakistan, Cambodia seek to unlock mutual trade potential

February 10, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Cambodia are looking to expand economic cooperation and unlock greater trade and investment opportunities aimed at shared growth and social prosperity.

Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening commercial ties, improving private-sector collaboration, and building long-term economic partnerships that can benefit businesses and citizens in the two countries.

During a joint visit to the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), Pakistan’s Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan and Cambodia’s Commerce Minister Cham Nimul engaged with members of the business community, APP reported.

The event, hosted by FPCCI, was organized to encourage bilateral trade, investment flows, and direct private-sector connections between the two nations.

Addressing participants, the Pakistani minister praised the resilience of local businesses despite challenges such as inflationary pressure, high borrowing costs, and currency fluctuations.

He noted that Pakistan’s immediate priority is to achieve sustainable economic growth by improving competitiveness, increasing investment levels, and creating more fiscal room for development. He added that the upcoming federal budget would play a vital role in lowering business costs and simplifying regulatory procedures.

He also highlighted Pakistan’s evolving trade diplomacy approach, explaining that official government engagements are now being combined with structured business-to-business meetings and sector-specific matchmaking.

These efforts, he said, have recently resulted in dozens of commercial agreements. Pointing to investment opportunities, he identified sectors such as naphtha cracking, steel, pharmaceutical raw materials, refining, and mineral processing as areas where foreign partners could play a key role.

The government, he added, is preparing a comprehensive investment portfolio and an upcoming MDI initiative to attract investors from regions including the Gulf, China, and the United States. He further described Pakistan’s geographic position as an advantage for regional connectivity, particularly with Central Asia, and cited potential cooperation in textiles where Cambodia imports yarn and Pakistan has strong spinning capacity.

Cham Nimul, in her remarks, thanked Pakistani authorities and FPCCI for their hospitality during her delegation’s first official visit, describing Pakistan’s recent economic journey as a story of determination and recovery.

She said Cambodia is reviewing internal reforms to improve coordination among its business associations and expressed interest in closer chamber-to-chamber partnerships, including interim mechanisms that can support business engagement even before full diplomatic missions are established.

She observed that Pakistan’s textile industry is vertically integrated from spinning and yarn production to fabric manufacturing while Cambodia has greater strength in downstream garment segments, creating room for complementary partnerships.

She also noted that pharmaceuticals and medical equipment form a significant share of Cambodia’s imports from Pakistan and suggested exploring facilitation measures, including the possibility of a dedicated arrangement or zone to encourage Pakistani pharmaceutical investment and operations.

According to her, Cambodia could serve as an entry point for Pakistani companies seeking access to ASEAN and RCEP markets, stressing that cooperation should remain mutually beneficial and supported through government-to-government, business-to-business, and public-private collaboration.

FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh, speaking at the event, highlighted the untapped potential in bilateral relations, particularly in agriculture, rice, food processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, light engineering, tourism, and logistics.

He reaffirmed FPCCI’s commitment to supporting business linkages, organizing exhibitions, facilitating investment matchmaking, and ensuring consistent follow-up with stakeholders to increase trade volumes and broaden market access between the two countries.

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