Business as usual despite recent Thai virus outbreak

The recent spike in Thailand’s COVID-19 figures, resulting from an outbreak at a seafood market, that saw close to 1,000 people infected, was cause for worry for the Cambodian government. However, the institution of extra measures at customs by the two governments has kept trade flowing at normal levels across the Thailand-Cambodia border.

Vice-President of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce Lim Heng said: “So far, the Cambodia-Thailand border trade has remained normal and there have been no problems of congestion or failure to clear goods due to the tightening of COVID-19 safety measures by the two governments.” Thailand is one of Cambodia’s main trading partners. Many of the daily necessities, frozen foods and processed raw materials sold in the Cambodian market are imported from Thailand.

Data released by the Thai Ministry of Commerce, for the three quarters measured  January to September this year, shows bilateral trade volume between Cambodia and Thailand was $5.569 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 19 percent. Cambodia’s exports to Thailand were pegged at $958 million, a decrease of 48 percent while Thailand’s $4.611 billion in exports to Cambodia decreased by 9 percent. The decline in bilateral trade between Cambodia and Thailand is tied primarily to the impact of this year’s pandemic.

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