Cambodia & Economy : Commerce Minister Urges Businesses to Make Use of Alibaba for Global Sales

The Ministry of Commerce has encouraged entrepreneurs and producers to list their products on Alibaba, a leading global e-commerce platform, in order to expand Cambodia's reach in international markets.

H.E. Mrs. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, made the call at a workshop on “Beyond Borders: The event, entitled "Bringing Cambodian Products to the Global Market Through Alibaba.com," was held on 27 May with the participation of approximately 350 local entrepreneurs and businessmen.

In her opening remarks, the minister highlighted the vast potential of Alibaba's platform, emphasising that this presents a significant opportunity for Cambodian businesses to showcase their products to a vast international audience and increase their export sales.

She encouraged Cambodian companies and small and medium-sized enterprises to explore the potential of joining Alibaba.com to market and promote the export of Cambodian products to global markets.

"By listing their products online, they can boost their sales to international markets," H.E. Mrs. Cham Nimul said.

To date, approximately ten Cambodian products have been formally registered on Alibaba.com, including Sela Pepper, Angkor Bird Nest, Ly Ly Food Industry, and others.

Mrs. Jiali Pan, Director of Alibaba’s International Affairs, stated that Alibaba.com will provide global market access for Cambodian SMEs and entrepreneurs.

"Alibaba.com provides Cambodian businesses and SMEs with global market accessibility for their products," she said at the workshop.

The Ministry of Commerce and Alibaba will officially inaugurate Cambodia’s inaugural national pavilion on the Alibaba.com platform in September of this year at the ASEAN-China Expo in Nanning, Guangxi Province. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to accelerate the digitalisation of Cambodia’s economy. The Royal Government of Cambodia is investing in infrastructure development and promoting e-commerce adoption among businesses and consumers.

As a small country, Cambodia’s e-commerce sector is still in its early stages of development, but it is growing rapidly. The partnership with Alibaba will undoubtedly accelerate this growth and position Cambodia as a key player in the region’s e-commerce landscape, according to the Minister.

In October 2023, the Ministry of Commerce and Alibaba Group signed a Memorandum of Understanding to sell Cambodian products directly in the Chinese market and ASEAN countries through the eWTP Platform. The agreement also includes the promotion of e-commerce.

AKP