FPCCI hosted a business engagement in honour of Her Excellency Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Cambodia, to advance Pakistan–Cambodia trade, investment and private-sector linkages.
The session featured addresses by Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, H.E. Cham Nimul and the President FPCCI, followed by the vote of thanks.
Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan thanked FPCCI for convening the engagement.
He paid tribute to the resilience of Pakistan’s business community through recent economic challenges, recalling high inflation, elevated interest rates and foreign exchange volatility.
The Minister said Pakistan’s foremost challenge is now growth, which depends on competitiveness, investment and fiscal space, and noted that the upcoming federal budget will be crucial for improving the cost and ease of doing business.
He also outlined Pakistan’s approach to trade diplomacy, stating that official engagements are increasingly linked with structured B2B forums and sectoral matchmaking, generating 60–70 business agreements in recent interactions.
Highlighting investment priorities, he pointed to gaps in naphtha cracking, steel, pharma APIs, refineries and mineral processing, and said the government is preparing an investment portfolio and an upcoming MDI program to attract investment from partners including the Gulf, China and the United States.
He described Pakistan as a potential regional hub, with connectivity to Central Asia, and highlighted opportunities for collaboration such as Cambodia’s yarn imports and Pakistan’s spinning capacity.
In her remarks, H.E. Cham Nimul thanked FPCCI and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality during her delegation’s first visit and said Pakistan’s recent journey reflects a strong story of resilience.
She noted Cambodia is examining reforms to strengthen coordination among business associations and expressed interest in deeper chamber-to-chamber cooperation, including mechanisms that can facilitate business engagement even before the full establishment of an embassy presence.
Highlighting complementarities, she said Pakistan’s textile value chain is vertically integrated from spinning and yarn to fabrics, while Cambodia is stronger in downstream segments, offering scope for partnerships that build backward linkages.
She also noted that pharmaceuticals and medical equipment form a major component of Cambodia’s imports from Pakistan and suggested exploring facilitation mechanisms, including the concept of a dedicated arrangement/zone to encourage Pakistani pharmaceutical investment and operations. H.E. Cham Nimul further stated that Cambodia can serve as a gateway for Pakistani businesses to ASEAN and RCEP markets, and emphasized that the relationship must remain a two-way street supported through government-to-government, business-to-business and government-to-business cooperation.
The President FPCCI, Atif Ikram Sheikh underscored the importance of regional connectivity and sustainable trade, stating that Pakistan–Cambodia relations carry untapped potential in agriculture, rice, food processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, light engineering, tourism and logistics. Emphasizing that diplomacy must translate into real business outcomes,
he said FPCCI stands ready to facilitate B2B linkages, exhibitions, investment matchmaking and systematic follow-up with relevant stakeholders to expand bilateral trade volumes and market access.
In the concluding segment, FPCC citing the absence of a Cambodian embassy in Pakistan and reflecting the business community’s recommendation proposed the appointment of Asif Ikram Sheikh as Honorary Consul General of Cambodia to facilitate closer coordination.
