Some 80 businessmen from Cambodia and Indonesia gathered at a trade fair in Phnom Penh on Wednesday to forge partnerships and explore ways to boost bilateral trade.

“It’s very important for us to see the future. We should be clear on the many ways we can cooperate in the short and medium terms,” said Indonesian Ambassador Sudiraman Haseng.

The networking event, organised by the Indonesian embassy, was held in conjunction with the campaign Indonesian Trade and Tourism Promotion 2018.

It comes as an Indonesian embassy report said trade between the two countries reached more than $318 million so far this year – an increase of 8.3 per cent compared with the same period last year.

The report showed that Cambodian exports to Indonesia grew to more than $17 million last year, an increase of more than 12 per cent from 2016.

Imports from Indonesia reached more than $301 million, an increase of roughly eight per cent.

“Windows of opportunity and cooperation are still waiting to be discovered and expanded,” Haseng said.https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/indonesian-businesses-look-local-partners