Depth report

　　

Recently, Cambodia's first Digital Government Forum was held in Phnom Penh, the capital. The forum was hosted by the Cambodian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Cambodian Prime Minister Khon Manay attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech, and ASEAN experts, scholars and senior officials attended the forum. Under the theme "Sustainable and Inclusive Development through the Implementation of Digital Policies", the forum showcased Cambodia's key achievements in promoting the building of a digital society and brought together domestic and international experts to discuss and share lessons learned and best practices in policy making, new trends in digital technologies, and accelerating digital transformation.

Hun Manay said that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a catalyst for digital development and the application of digital technologies in Cambodia, and the Cambodian government has made important achievements in accelerating digital development in recent years. The Government of Cambodia will actively advance the digital policy agenda to achieve the digital development goals set out in the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025 and the United Nations Development Programme's Digital Strategy 2022-2025. Cambodia will also work with ASEAN member states to advance the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Digital Economy, which is expected to increase the total ASEAN digital economy from $1 trillion to $2 trillion per year by 2030. He pointed out that promoting the development of the digital economy and society is an important part of the Cambodian government's "Pentagon strategy". It is hoped that the Forum will focus on key topics such as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital talent building and cybersecurity, and harmonize national and inter-regional policies, regulations and standards to promote digital trade and services.

Factors such as high Internet penetration, rapid growth of mobile device users, a younger population, and the development of digital payment methods are becoming the main driving forces for the development of Cambodia's digital economy. According to statistics, 56% of Cambodia's population is between the ages of 15 and 35, and the number of registered mobile Internet users and mobile phone users in Cambodia will increase to more than 19 million by 2023. As of last year, Cambodia's digital payments amounted to $492 billion, equivalent to 16 times Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP).

Other achievements have been notable. In 2022, CamDX, the Cambodian data exchange platform, won the Open Source Adaptation of the Year Award in a competition hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a key platform for the public and private sectors in Cambodia to share and exchange system data, an important achievement in the country's digital development. The Cambodian government's document verification platform verify.gov.kh was also recently awarded the ASEAN Digital Gold Award, which will play a key role in providing various public services to the Cambodian people. In addition, Cambodia has made significant progress in projects such as the National financial Management Information Technology System, the electronic system for tax and Customs, the non-tax revenue management and State property management system, the business registration system, the digital and electronic education system, the identity management system, and the land and vehicle management system.

These achievements are attributed to the Cambodian government's high emphasis on digital development. In recent years, Cambodia has introduced a number of legal, regulatory and policy frameworks. In 2019, the Cambodian government promulgated the E-commerce Law, which covers various areas of e-commerce such as electronic signatures, contracts, settlement, product and service quality standards, and clearly regulates the process of e-commerce transactions within Cambodia and across borders. In 2021, the Cambodian government issued the Digital Economy and Digital Society Policy Framework (2021-2035), which commits to the five "digital development Goals" of building digital infrastructure, building confidence in digital systems, cultivating digital citizens, promoting e-government, and promoting digital commerce within 15 years. The relevant policy framework sets out 139 specific measures to achieve these objectives. In June 2023, the government launched the Digital Technology Strategic Plan (2023-2027), which aims to improve public services and work efficiency, and strengthen cyber security.

The Cambodian government has also set up a National Digital Economy and Digital Society Council to oversee the implementation of relevant policies, coordinate effective implementation measures among various departments, and evaluate efficiency and results. In 2023, the Cambodian government established the General Directorate of Digital Economy to participate in the formulation and implementation of policies related to the digital economy and conduct analysis, research and evaluation of the development of the digital economy under the guidance of the Cambodian Ministry of Finance and Economy. In addition, the Cambodian Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has promoted the establishment of a digital technology institute to promote the cultivation of digital talents and the application of digital technologies in the country.

In order to accelerate the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Cambodia, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce and Alibaba jointly launched the e-commerce launch of Cambodian products in China at the end of 2022, and Cambodian enterprises settled in Alibaba International Station to seek potential buyers around the world through this international trade platform. In 2023, the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce signed an eWTP cooperation agreement with Alibaba, and eWTP provided training for nearly 100 Cambodian enterprises, sharing the practical experience of China and Alibaba in digitalization, and helping the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises in Cambodia.

According to the digital economy development roadmap planned by the Cambodian government, Cambodia plans to achieve 100% high-speed Internet coverage in urban areas and 70% in rural areas by 2025. By 2027, the mobile Internet network will cover all target areas in the country, while considering the use of 5G technology at an appropriate time in the future. By 2030, all major public services will be digitized, a smart government based on digital infrastructure and technology will be established, and governance structures will be modernized. The adoption rate of digital technology in private enterprises must reach 70%, and the proportion of digital workers in the employment population must reach 4%. By 2035, Cambodia will have completed its digital transformation, the digital economy will reach 5 to 10 percent of GDP, a number of innovative and smart enterprises will be established, and at least one smart city will be built. Authorities also plan to train 100,000 digital technology talents in 10 years to promote technology research and development and innovation in the digital field.