Cambodia confirms its accelerating integration into global value chains, driven by the United States, Vietnam and China — even as the import bill grows just as fast.

Facing French Ambassador Olivier Richard, who had just outlined his reading of the Franco-Cambodian year, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, His Excellency Prak Sokhonn, replied at the French Embassy in Phnom Penh with a resolutely Cambodian reading of that same 2026: that of a partnership the Kingdom intends to see grow, all the way to the rank of strategic partnership.

For his first Bastille Day reception in Cambodia, French Ambassador Olivier Richard chose to look far ahead. Before an audience of ministers, diplomats and members of the French community, he laid out, on Monday evening, the picture of a 2026 unlike any other, one in which “we have the chance to write a new page” in the history of relations between Paris and Phnom Penh.

Elected within a few weeks as councillor for French citizens in Cambodia, then as a member of the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad, Matthias Vazquez champions an approach built on collective action, civic dialogue and grassroots engagement. After a particularly intense first month in office, he looks back at the method behind his election, his first actions and trips, and his vision for representing the French community in Cambodia and, more broadly, across Asia-Pacific.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia 9 July 2026 —The year 2026 marks a landmark year for Cambodia as the Kingdom hosts the 20th Francophonie Summit, welcoming participation from the 90 member states and governments of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF).

SOSORO Museum and SIPAR join forces to make Cambodia's economic and monetary history accessible to all.

Two days in Phnom Penh, a roadmap for the months ahead. On July 9 and 10, France's Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, Nicolas Forissier, held a series of meetings with Cambodian officials and the French business community, in a visit designed as the direct prelude to President Emmanuel Macron's trip to Phnom Penh next November for the 20th Francophonie Summit.

Twelve fellows at the Cambodian think tank Future Forum have published a collection of concrete policy proposals, ranging from tax reform to urban design to the invisible work of care. A rare exercise in policymaking conceived by, and for, the country's youth.

What remains after more than half a century spent building? Bruno D'Arcangues, General Director of Artelia Cambodia, an international engineering and project management firm in Cambodia, looks back on a career where technical skill meets management. From a childhood split between France, Algeria, and Morocco to his projects across Asia, a portrait emerges of a builder as demanding as he is imperfect.

Having moved to Cambodia in 2015 in search of her Khmer roots, Jannine Sem has built her career on two pillars: data and people. Today Head of People & Culture at SBI APAC and a Board Member of La French Tech Phnom Penh, she describes herself as a bridge-builder between French startups and the local ecosystem. She spoke to Cambodge Mag about her journey — an unconventional career path and a deep attachment to the country she has chosen to call home.

France's Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Nicolas Forissier, visits Cambodia on 9 and 10 July to meet the Kingdom's leading economic officials and the French business community. The trip lays the groundwork ahead of Emmanuel Macron's visit in November for the Francophonie Summit, and comes as bilateral trade stalls in early 2026, following an otherwise encouraging 2025.

More than 150 tax specialists, senior officials and private-sector representatives gathered in Phnom Penh on 25 June to discuss the future of Cambodia's tax system. From the fight against informality to transfer pricing and double-taxation treaties, the Kingdom is sharpening its strategy to win over foreign capital.

In November 2026, the kingdom will host the 20th Francophonie Summit for the first time in its history. With just a few months to go, EuroCham Cambodia has taken the lead by unveiling a detailed roadmap for an unprecedented diplomatic, economic and cultural sequence for the country.

The Prime Minister presided, on 2 July in Phnom Penh, over the 30th-anniversary ceremony of Pour un Sourire d'Enfant and the graduation of the 2021-2024 classes, in the presence of the French Embassy.

Between brand-new expressways, sprawling special economic zones and an airport barely out of the ground, the Cambodian kingdom is accelerating its industrial transformation. A report published this year by realestate.com.kh paints the picture of a still-young market that is nonetheless ready to take off — provided it comes to terms with some well-identified structural weaknesses.

In Siem Bok district, an industrial eucalyptus plantation illustrates Cambodia's strategy to cut down on processed-timber imports, blending domestic supply-chain building with provincial economic development.

At the 4th Cambodia-Europe Public-Private Sector Dialogue, the Cambodian government closed out two long-running disputes and opened four new regulatory fronts, under the watchful eye of EuroCham.

Florian Bohême, Councillor for French Citizens Abroad in Cambodia, announced his re-election to the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (AFE) while traveling back to Phnom Penh via Hong Kong. The news confirms, term after term, this Cambodia-based councillor's standing within the institutional framework representing French expatriates.

The 47th Extraordinary Session of the Ministerial Conference, chaired by Cambodia's top diplomat, opens the public audition of candidates for the OIF Secretary General post — a vote that lays bare the geopolitical fault lines running through the French-speaking world.

A $63.44 million financing package has just validated the country's first large-scale energy storage infrastructure. Behind the sober figures lies a strategic wager on regional stability and Southeast Asia's energy transition.

Four months ago, Pascal Catry took the helm of the French-Cambodian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFC), succeeding Cyril Girot in a relatively favourable economic climate: healthy finances, growing membership, renewed momentum.

U.S. tariffs, LDC graduation, heat stress: in Phnom Penh, the GFT sector is seeking answers to mounting pressures that are becoming dangerously cumulative.

In November 2026, the Cambodian capital becomes the economic center of gravity of the Francophonie. A strong signal, at the crossroads of two worlds.

Arriving in Cambodia in 2023 for a simple tourist trip, Jean-Emanuel Stevens never really left. Holding a master’s degree in digital marketing and having worked with Luxembourg start-ups, in university teaching, and behind the scenes at Audi France, this 30-year-old Frenchman chose Phnom Penh to settle down and launch Vibe Event Solutions, a ticketing and event production platform.