ADB forecasts 7 pct growth for Cambodia in next two years

PHNOM PENH, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's economy is projected to grow by 7 percent in 2018 and 2019 respectively, bolstered by solid global economic growth and domestic demand, said an Asian Development Bank (ADB) outlook report released on Wednesday.

"Cambodia's strong economic growth in the near term is supported by robust exports, as well as higher foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, tourism activities, and domestic demand," Jan Hansen, ADB's senior country economist, said in a press conference here.

He said foreign investors still have high confidence in the country's political stability although the Southeast Asian nation is scheduled for a general election on July 29 this year.

"We haven't really seen any impact or any high uncertainty on foreign direct investment," Jan said.

However, rising wages, difficulty in doing business, and intensifying competition could undermine the country's competitiveness, he said.

Cambodia's industrial output is likely to continue to grow by 9.6 percent this year, with a slowdown in garments and footwear industries offset by stronger growth in emerging industries, such as electrical parts, automobile components, bicycles, milled rice, and rubber, according to the report.

Growth in services was expected to remain robust at 7.1 percent this year, supported by solid numbers of tourist arrivals, it said.

Cambodia's agriculture was projected to grow 1.8 percent in 2018.

The report said inflation was forecast to rise to 3.2 percent in 2018 and 3.5 percent in 2019.

It said external risks to the outlook could be the faster than expected interest rates tightening in the United States, heightened volatility in international financial markets, or an unexpected hike in oil prices.

A domestic risk is the potential uncertainty during the approach to the July general election, the report said.

Answered a question about the U.S.-China trade friction, Jan said the friction had "very small" direct impacts on Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. Enditem