BIOGRAPHY
Mr. CHHAI Bunsonareach
Member of Cabinet of the Senior Minister, Deputy Chief of the Secretariat of the Trade Policy Advisory Board (TPAB) with the rank of Deputy Director General, and Member of the Secretariat of the Committee on the Promotion of Resolutions of Private Sector Issues (CRI)
Mr. CHHAI Bunsonareach is a Cabinet Member to H.E. Prof. Dr. SOK Siphana, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions (Multilateral Trade and Economic Affairs) and Chairman of Trade Policy Advisory Board (TPAB). This appointment, equivalent in rank to Director, was granted by Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei HUN Manet. He also serves as Deputy Chief of TPAB Secretariat, with a rank equivalent to Deputy Director General. In this role, Reach is in charge of Policy and Strategic Planning, as well as Information and Technology Dissemination. He is also in charge of the BRICS and CPTPP portfolios within the Secretariat, supporting Cambodia’s economic development and deepening regional integration efforts.
Reach’s portfolio encompasses Cambodian development, international trade, and foreign relations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy (IISPP) and is a former Dongfang Scholar at Peking University (PKU), where he studied Chinese politics, international trade, development models, and South-South cooperation. He is currently pursuing a Master of Science in International Affairs at IISPP with a focus on institutional economics and its limitations.
His research experience explores various aspects of Cambodian society. Reach’s early work with Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) examined the intersection of urban development and environmental justice. His report, Examining Urban Poor Communities’ Awareness and Perceptions of Participating in Environmental Impact Assessment, reflects his concern for the needs of marginalized communities. He also authored Climate Change and Environmental Governance in Urban Poor Communities, published by Heinrich Böll Stiftung Cambodia, further highlighting his continued engagement with grassroots environmental issues.
Through the KAS Horizon Project with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Reach addressed broader transnational issues. His policy briefing, The Effects of China’s Hydropower Dams on Food Security of the Lower Mekong Countries, illustrates his interest in regional geopolitical dynamics. His recent commentary, Why Cambodia Needs a Comprehensive Review of its Existing Free Trade Agreements, published by the Asian Vision Institute (AVI), highlights his focus on Cambodian economic policy. Another recent paper, Why Henry Kissinger’s Balanced Dissatisfaction Is Practically Questionable, explores the limits of realpolitik in contemporary geopolitical practice. As a young researcher at Future Forum, Reach conducted policy research on Cambodia’s logistical system and its implications for trade facilitation. His work focused on the potential for the railway network and the Funan Techo Canal to form a complementary infrastructure system to enhance trade efficiency. Reach’s broader research and professional interests lie at the intersection of international political economy, development strategy, and great power competition. His expertise spans trade policy, geopolitics, institutional economics, and infrastructure development, particularly as they relate to Cambodia’s long-term economic trajectory.
