Matt Western MP, the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, visits Phnom Penh on 20–21 October 2025 to deepen UK–Cambodia trade ties through the Joint Trade and Investment Forum. The Department for Business and Trade says his programme includes ministerial meetings, business roundtables and skills-focused engagements.

A centrepiece of the trip is the inauguration of Techo International Airport, the new gateway for Phnom Penh designed by UK firm Foster + Partners. For British services and design firms, the project is a visible reference point for what UK expertise can win in the region.

From a commercial standpoint, the airport has already begun operations, with Associated Press reporting first flights in September 2025 and an initial capacity around 13 million passengers, targeting 30 million by 2030. Improved connectivity should lift demand in tourism, logistics and retail concessions that UK brands and suppliers can service.

Policy conversations will track Cambodia’s trade strategy and its study of CPTPP accession. The envoy will also engage officials coordinating this work, following recent UK-facing dialogues led by Cambodia’s CPTPP Task Force in London. That creates a channel for UK companies to feed practical market access issues into policy.

Tariffs remain a tangible advantage for UK importers sourcing from Cambodia. Under the UK’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, Cambodia benefits from duty‑free access on over 99% of product lines, with simplified rules and group cumulation options to support supply chains across ASEAN. Importers should ensure Form A or invoice declarations are in place to claim preferences.

Further tweaks are coming. The UK government has signalled rule‑of‑origin improvements-particularly helpful for garments-that are intended to take effect from early 2026. UK buyers building programmes now should roadmap sourcing and documentation against those changes to protect margins.

On the export side, education and training feature prominently in the visit agenda. UK institutions operating in Cambodia are being asked to scale skills, employability and social mobility initiatives-an opening for professional services, EdTech and transnational education providers to partner locally on accredited programmes.

CPTPP context matters for the UK. Britain became a member on 15 December 2024, expanding tariff‑free access and modern rules on services and digital trade with participating members. If Cambodia proceeds towards accession, UK firms could see smoother standards alignment and clearer content rules on regional production.

The government schedule also highlights British corporate footprints in‑market. Dewhirst, a UK‑owned manufacturer operating in Phnom Penh since 2011, supplies major brands including Marks & Spencer and Nike-useful proof that higher‑value apparel production and compliance can be delivered at scale in Cambodia.

All this unfolds as Cambodia prepares to graduate from UN Least Developed Country status on 19 December 2029-a milestone that can change how preference schemes evolve over time. The UK’s DCTS reforms are designed to smooth such transitions; companies should model tariff, RoO and compliance scenarios over a five‑year horizon.

Practical next steps for UK operators are straightforward. Exporters should align HS codes and documentation with DCTS rules, check Cambodian partner readiness on standards, and monitor CPTPP workstreams for opportunities in customs, services and IP. Services providers-particularly in education and professional training-can use this week’s meetings and the UK‑funded regulatory reform conference to tee up pilots ahead of 2026.

For retail investors and SME owners, the signal is clear: connectivity is improving, policy channels are open, and UK brands are already producing in‑market. The near‑term task is execution-locking in supply, certifying origin, and building local partnerships that can scale as passenger and cargo volumes rise through the decade.