Cambodia saw a trade deficit of 1.62 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2013, according to the Cambodian Commerce Ministry.

Total import and export value was at 14.32 billion USD during the January-November period, up 18 percent over the same period last year.

Export surged by 26 percent to 6.38 billion USD, while import rose by 13 percent to 8 billion USD, leading the trade deficit.

Kang Chandararot, president of the Cambodia Institute of Development Study, attributed the increase in trade volume to better economic performance of Cambodia and its trading partners.

It is a good sign for the country's economy that more products have been sold overseas, Kang Chandararot was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying. The country needed to further push for exports so as to reduce trade deficit, he added.

The Southeast Asian nation's economy is driven by garment exports, tourism, agriculture and construction.

Apparel products accounted for more than 80 percent of the country's total exports.

Cambodia’s main trading partners are the US, the EU, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia._VNA