Cambodia Overview

The Kingdom of Cambodia officially gained independence in November 1953. Despite some achievements in economic development, the country still faces serious poverty problems and remains mainly agricultural.

Cambodia is considered one of the relatively poor countries. According to the Cambodian Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia's GDP in 2016 was US$20.017 billion, with an economic growth rate of 6.88%. The per capita GDP was US$1,140, an increase of 5.19% over the previous year. In June 2017, the World Bank announced that Cambodia officially left the least developed country category and entered the ranks of lower-middle-income countries, effective July 1, 2016.

In 2015, Cambodia’s population was 15,394,276, of which 38% were under the age of 17, 53% were between 18 and 60, and 9% were 61 and over. More than half of Cambodia’s population is around 25 years old, representing a young and vibrant workforce.

Cambodia's economic system has undergone a transformation from a mixed planning model to a market-led model.

Since September 1993, the Cambodian Constitution has clearly stipulated that the country shall implement a market economy system, advocate free market principles, economic privatization and trade liberalization. In April 1999, Cambodia officially became the 10th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In 2003, Cambodia gained membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), becoming the first least developed country to join the organization in its eight years of existence.

In 2007, Cambodia joined the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area Agreement.

Cambodia's political system

Government:

Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy that practices a liberal democratic multi-party system. The King of Cambodia is the head of state and has the power to appoint the Prime Minister, cabinet members, senior military and civilian officials, ambassadors and judges. However, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia emphasizes that "the King rules, but does not govern." The current King of Cambodia is Norodom Sihamoni.

parliament:

The National Assembly is the highest authority and legislative body of the country. It consists of a speaker, two deputy speakers and at least 120 members who serve on various specialized committees. The term of office of the National Assembly is five years. Members of the National Assembly are elected by universal suffrage throughout the country, by free, direct and secret ballot. They are eligible for re-election.

Since March 2006, Heng Samrin has succeeded Norodom Ranariddh as Speaker. The National Assembly meets twice a year, and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly is responsible for routine affairs during the recess. The Standing Committee is composed of the Speaker, two Deputy Speakers and the Chairmen of nine special committees. The National Assembly has nine working committees, each of which is composed of at least seven members. The Chairmen, Vice Chairmen and Secretaries of each committee are elected.

The Senate is responsible for reviewing bills passed by the National Assembly. It meets at least twice a year. The King can appoint two senators, and the rest are elected. Senators serve for six years and can be re-elected.

government:

The Government is the highest executive body in Cambodia. The Royal Government of Cambodia consists of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Secretaries of State, which form the Council of Ministers. The King appoints a key member of the party that wins the election to form the Government. After receiving a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, the King signs a decree appointing all members of the Cabinet. The Council of Ministers operates under the collective responsibility of the National Assembly, while each ministry operates under the responsibility of its respective minister.

The Fifth Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia

The fifth government of the Kingdom of Cambodia was established in September 2013, with Prime Minister Hun Sen continuing to serve in his position. The fifth government consists of 24 ministries: Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Parliamentary Relations and Inspection, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Industry and Mines, Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, and Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Political Parties Law

Cambodia practices multi-party democracy. In October 1997, the Cambodian National Assembly passed the Political Party Law. There are various political parties in Cambodia. The number of parties participating in the first three elections was 20, 39 and 23 respectively. In the fourth election, the number of participating parties dropped sharply to 11, and in the fifth election, only 8 parties participated.

According to the previous three elections, the influential parties were the Cambodian People's Party, the Funcinpec Party and the Sam Rainsy Party. However, in the fifth election, the Cambodian People's Party only won 68 out of 123 seats, challenging the one-party system that had previously dominated Cambodian politics.

China-Cambodia economic and trade relations:

Overview of bilateral economic and trade relations: China and Cambodia formally established diplomatic relations on July 19, 1958.

The signing of the Sino-Cambodian Treaty of Friendship and Non-aggression on December 19, 1960 marked a new stage in the development of bilateral relations. Over the past 60 years, the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has been consolidated and developed on the basis of mutual respect, mutual benefit and win-win results.

With Cambodia joining ASEAN and the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, bilateral economic and trade cooperation has entered a stage of stable and rapid development. The two countries have frequent high-level visits, promoting deeper, higher and faster development in all fields. In 2015, the bilateral trade volume between China and Cambodia reached US$4.43 billion, an increase of 18% year-on-year.

From January to October 2016, the bilateral trade volume reached US$3.9 billion, an increase of 8.5% over the previous year. As of October 2016, Chinese enterprises had signed a total of US$14.67 billion in engineering contracts in Cambodia and achieved a turnover of US$10.94 billion. As of October 2016, China's direct investment in Cambodia reached approximately US$3.93 billion.