Matrade Chairman Urges Malaysian Companies To Use Cambodia As Gateway To Mekong Region

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is urging Malaysian businesses to tap into the Greater Mekong Region and expand their commercial footprint after generating RM186 million in sales through its trade initiatives in Cambodia.

MATRADE Chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the sales generated through the Export Acceleration Mission to Cambodia had surpassed the initial target of RM100 million set for this year, indicating the importance of expanding market access across ASEAN.

He said greater diversification of trade would help strengthen intra-ASEAN commerce, which remains concentrated in a handful of markets, including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand.

“We want to enhance ASEAN trade integration. It is important for us to achieve a more balanced distribution of trade rather than concentrating on a few countries,” Reezal Merican said at a press conference in Phnom Penh on Thursday.

Cambodia, he said, offered Malaysian businesses a strategic gateway to the Indochina and Greater Mekong markets, given its geographical location.

“We see Cambodia as a good gateway for Malaysian products to enter the Mekong region. It is strategically located and can serve as a launchpad into the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) countries,” he said.

The Greater Mekong Region, comprising Cambodia, China (Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, with a population of over 300 million, offers a powerful consumer market for Malaysian products.

Moreover, the region, perched along the 4,900-kilometre Mekong River, is blessed with an abundance of agricultural products and marine resources. The river is the longest in Southeast Asia. 

The Mekong River Basin is also known for its mineral resources, including gold, copper, lead, zinc, phosphate, potash, oil and gas, coal and gemstones, according to the Mekong Commission’s website.

Reezal Merican said there was an urgent need to ramp up intra-ASEAN trade at this juncture. 

ASEAN’s total trade saw a staggering growth of 14.1 per cent, rising from US$3.8 trillion (RM15.4 trillion) in 2024 to US$4.4 trillion (RM18 trillion) last year.

Though these numbers are impressive, intra-ASEAN trade accounted for only about 21.4 per cent of ASEAN's total trade in 2025, he said.

“This tells us that, despite being neighbours, despite our free trade arrangements, and despite having some of the most dynamic economies in the world, the majority of ASEAN’s trade is still conducted with partners outside the region of ASEAN.

“That is not a weakness. It is an opportunity. And this is where Malaysia sees Cambodia not simply as a bilateral trading partner, but as an important part of the wider ASEAN economic prospect,” Reezal Merican said in his speech at the Malaysia-Cambodia Business Seminar held in Phnom Penh on Wednesday.

MATRADE has initiated a four-day Export Acceleration Mission to Phnom Penh from August 18 to 21 to explore business opportunities and strengthen its presence in the Cambodian market.

Reezal Merican is leading 26 Malaysian companies participating in the mission.

-- BERNAMA