By Rin Ousa  Cambodianess Thu, May 21, 2026

Senior minister in charge of Special Missions Sok Siphana gives a speech during a national consultation workshop on May 20. Photo: Sok Siphana/Facebook

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia is gearing up to negotiate accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement expected to offer preferential access to dynamic global markets.

Sok Siphana, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions, said membership would signal to investors that Cambodia is dedicated to maintaining a rules-based, high-standard investment environment.

Acknowledging the uncertainty of the global trading environment, Siphana, who is also the chairman of the CPTPP negotiating working group, said small and open economies like Cambodia cannot remain passive, and must actively foster their trade partnerships.

To stay competitive, Siphana said the country must deepen integration into rules-based frameworks and build domestic institutional capacity.

As Cambodia is set to graduate from the United Nations’ Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2029, Siphana envisioned the CPTPP as a source of growth.

“The preferential arrangements which have supported our export growth will diminish after emerging from LDC status. We must replace them with negotiated, legally binding and reciprocal frameworks. So, the CPTPP is the answer,” Siphana said.

Not merely a free trade agreement, Siphana said CPTPP would offer preferential access to some of the world’s key markets while covering the full architecture of modern economic domains, including goods, services, investment, intellectual property and digital trade.

“However, the agreement is demanding due to its comprehensiveness, requiring legislative gap assessments, regulatory reform, strong technical expertise, and continuous coordination across government institutions,” Siphana said during a national consultation workshop on May 20.

The country had made significant progress in international trade over the past three decades.

“From being a largely agriculture-based economy emerging from conflict and isolation, the nation has transformed into a more open and trade-driven economy.” he said. 

The CPTPP was signed on March 8, 2018, in Chile by Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. On December 15, 2024, the United Kingdom became the first European country to join. Recently, Costa Rica was granted accession.

Cambodia expressed interest in joining the deal in 2025, as Prime Minister Hun Manet established a task force in June. The group is chaired by Sok Siphana.

The task force is mandated to conduct in-depth studies examining the potential impacts — both positive and negative — of CPTPP membership. The group leads consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including ministries, private-sector representatives, development partners and regional experts.

Cambodia’s exploration of CPTPP membership signals its interest in positioning itself more competitively within the global trading system. 

Experts believe that while the pathway to joining will be long and complex, the gains could be transformative for Cambodia’s export-led economy.

https://cambodianess.com/article/cambodia-gears-up-for-trade-talks-to-expand-global-access

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