PHNOM PENH — Cambodia is advancing preparations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) as it approaches graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2029. The country’s preferential trade arrangements for garments and agricultural exports are expected to erode following its LDC graduation.

Senior Minister Sok Siphana leads Cambodia’s assessment and negotiating work for accession to the CPTPP. He has stated that small and open economies such as Cambodia must deepen integration into rules-based frameworks as the country moves toward the post-LDC period.

Cambodia’s garment exports would benefit from CPTPP membership, according to government assessments. To join the agreement, Cambodia must align its legal and regulatory framework with CPTPP standards, which requires reforming domestic systems in areas including goods, services, investment, digital trade, and intellectual property.

Accession entails substantial upgrades to Cambodia’s intellectual property protection, environmental standards, and regulatory transparency. The CPTPP’s intellectual property chapter is among the most comprehensive in major trade agreements.

All CPTPP members must meet the same high standards, as the agreement has no country categories. Applicants must satisfy the Auckland Principles, which require preparedness to meet the agreement’s standards, a demonstrated pattern of compliance with trade commitments, and consensus support from all existing members before accession is granted.

Cambodia’s Vision 2050 outlines long-term development goals that could be supported by high-quality investment attracted through CPTPP membership. Sok Siphana previously led Cambodia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), a role that informs his current work on CPTPP negotiations.

Cambodia’s eligibility for certain international trade benefits will change after its LDC graduation in 2029, prompting the need for alternative market access arrangements. Government assessments indicate that CPTPP membership could help offset the loss of preferential tariffs by providing new export opportunities under a rules-based system.