Cambodia Vietnam Trade

Thanh Nien News Society Busy contraband trade across Vietnam-Cambodia border
Busy contraband trade across Vietnam-Cambodia border


Illegal trade of gasoline and sugar across the Cambodia-Vietnam border is now rampant in some southern Mekong Delta provinces.
Amid escalating world oil prices, Vietnam’s gasoline price, which is partly subsidized by the government, is lower than Cambodia’s fuel by VND5,500-7,500 (US$0.34-0.46) per liter.
Vietnam’s diesel and kerosene prices are also about VND3,000 ($0.19) cheaper.
An Giang Province’s Market Management Department estimated some 40,000 to 60,000 liters of fuel were trafficked out of the province daily.
The department named An Phu District, Tinh Bien District and Chau Doc Town as localities where fuel smuggling is rife.
A veteran trafficker N.V.M. said about 20 “businessmen” direct several dozens of people to smuggle gasoline, diesel and kerosene from Tinh Bien border town to Cambodia by water and land.
Fuel traffickers often mix kerosene into gasoline to earn more profit from sales, another trafficker named T.V.B. said.
Sometimes they add tra catfish oil into gasoline to “export,” T.V.B. said.
Domestic sugar prices, meanwhile, are higher than smuggled sugar by VND500-1,000 per kilogram, precipitating an illegal influx of the commodity into Vietnam.
Thailand’s sugar smuggled into Mekong Delta provinces via Cambodian traders is causing difficulty to sugar companies in the region.
Can Tho Sugar Company (Casuco) General Director Nguyen Thanh Long said although the company had reduced its sugar prices to VND8,000 per kilogram compared to early last month, it is still hard to compete with smuggled sugar, which is sold at about VND7,600 per kilogram.
Long said the company outlets in Can Tho City were now only able to sell between 50 and 100 tons of sugar daily, two to three times lower than before.
He also said around 300-400 tons of sugar are smuggled into the Mekong Delta region each day.
In An Giang Province, smuggled sugar bags are often falsely labeled before market distribution to avoid anti-contraband detection.
Source: SGGP



Story from Thanh Nien NewsPublished: 12 May, 2008, 11:01:21 (GMT+7)Copyright Thanh Nien News


Roundup: Cambodia, Vietnam highlight trade, economic cooperation
Cambodian and Vietnamese leaders have manifested their determination to consolidate the traditional relations of close friendship between the two countries and expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, especially in trade and economy, said an official press release here on Thursday.
The release was sent to Xinhua by the Ministry of Information to conclude Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet's state visit to the kingdom from Feb. 27 to March 1.
During his visit, Triet respectively met with King Sihamoni, Senate President Chea Sim, National Assembly President Heng Samrin and Prime Minister Hun Sen on bilateral ties and cooperation and co-chaired the Cambodian-Vietnamese Business Forum with Hun Sen.
"The meetings were held in a very cordial atmosphere and in a spirit of close friendship, solidarity and mutual understanding," said the press release.
Meanwhile, at the forum held here on Wednesday, both Hun Sen and Triet pledged that their governments will try harder to strengthen bilateral ties on trade and economic activities.
"The Vietnamese government (will) work to encourage its investors to do business in Cambodia, and at the same time the Vietnamese government (will) support Cambodian investors interested in pouring capital into Vietnam, by ensuring better conditions for them," said Triet.
Hun Sen said that "the bilateral relations between Cambodia and Vietnam can create an environment conducive to trade and employment," while emphasizing that both nations are currently working to develop new opportunities in the context of economic exchange.
Also at the forum, Cambodian government officials said that the annual trade volume between Vietnam and Cambodia is expected to grow by 27 percent per year to reach 2.45 billion U.S. dollars by 2010.
"There will be significant rise upon the almost 950 million U.S. dollars (of bilateral trade volume) in 2006, which has placed Vietnam as our fourth biggest trade partner," said Kith Meng, president of Cambodia Chamber of Commerce.
"We must find ways to enhance the inter-connectivity, boost investor confidence and open up more economic sectors that can operate seamlessly across our economy," he added.
Later addressing the forum, Kam Si Than, Acting Cambodian Minister of Commerce, said that in 2006, Cambodia imported from Vietnam about 780 million U.S. dollars worth of commodities, mainly including clothes, cable, household plastic products, noodles, electronic spare parts and others, which was an increase of about 244 million U.S. dollars over 2005.
Meanwhile, he said, in the same year, Cambodia exported to Vietnam around 170 million U.S. dollars worth of products, including rubber, forestry, raw resources for clothes products, tobacco leaves, wooden products and others, which was an increase of about 13 million U.S. dollars over 2005.
At the forum, both sides signed a trade cooperation agreement, under which the ALPHANAM Sai Gon JSC of Vietnam will supply Amatak Angkor Elevator Company Ltd. of Cambodia with electronic equipment worth around 5 million U.S. dollars, as well as a sports donation agreement, under which Vietnam will offer the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia with products worth about 400,000 U.S. dollars.
Currently, Vietnam is Cambodia's third largest market for exports, following the U.S. and Europe, while Cambodia has been Vietnam's fourth largest importer behind Thailand, China and China 's Hong Kong, according to official statistics.
Source: Xinhua

People's Daily Online --- http://english.people.com.cn/
Vietnam-Cambodia trade to reach US$7 billion by 2015
VietNamNet Bridge - Two-way trade between Vietnam and Cambodia is expected to hit US$2.3 billion by 2010 and US$7 billion through 2015.
The targets have been set as part of the Trade Ministry’s plan to boost trade and investment with Cambodia in the 2007-2015 period.
At a seminar on the plan, held in Ho Chi Minh City on May 3, leaders from provinces bordering Cambodia affirmed that the neighbouring country, which shares 1,137 km of borderlines with Vietnam, is a very important market.
They also noted that an advantage for Vietnamese businesses in this market is the similarities in consumers’ habits and demands.
Two-way trade between the two countries stood at US$1 billion in 2006.
(Source: VNA)

Bài báo trên VietNamNet Bridge:http://english.vietnamnet.vn/biz/2007/05/691769/ Xuất bản lúc: 15:35 06/05/2007