Cambodia has pledged to abide by the principle of trade liberalization after halting imports of vietnamese mackerel

On February 5, the Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia responded to the announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Cambodia on January 8, 2021 that it would stop importing four species of mackerel from neighbouring countries, includingVietnam.
, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce made it clear in the document that Cambodia will conduct internal consultations to find a suitable solution to normal bilateral trade activities and work for the interests of the two peoples.
the Cambodian side once again committed itself to respecting and supporting the spirit of trade liberalization within the framework of the multilateral trading system and the ASEAN Economic Community.
, Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade, Chen Junying, sent a letter to Pan Sorasak, Cambodia's commerce minister, on January 29th about Cambodia's restrictions on the import of mackerel.
In accordance with article 20 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, import and export restrictions may be imposed in exceptional circumstances, such as safeguarding national security and social morality, protecting human and animal and plant health, protecting precious natural resources, history, works of art and national antiquies or protecting the environment.
Cambodia's ban on the import of mackerel runs counter to the spirit of trade liberalization between the WTO and the ASEAN Economic Community, of which Viet Nam is a party to Cambodia.
, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam has exported about $60 million a year in aquatic products to Cambodia in recent years.
although Cambodia is not a major market for Vietnamese aquatic products, import demand in this market is stable, making a positive contribution to trade development in the border areas and creating employment opportunities and income for the local population.
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