Cambodia has initiated the establishment of a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Secretariat in Phnom Penh.

This initiative has been made by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and ASEAN Chair 2022, at the official opening ceremony of the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings held in Phnom Penh this morning.

ASEAN has agreed to implement various initiatives and programmes under the 4 Broad Strategies of the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, he said.

“In line with the Broad Strategy 3 that is to maximise the potential of Intra-ASEAN Market and Broader Economic Integration, I believe we do need to have a standalone Secretariat as soon as possible, to coordinate effective implementation of the RCEP that came into force last January,” he underlined.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen affirmed that Cambodia is ready to host this RCEP Secretariat.

“We have even thought of where in Phnom Penh, the Secretariat should be located, while we are working to formulate our detailed proposal. I hope Cambodia can win the support of fellow ASEAN Member States, as well as all RCEP participating countries when we submit our proposal officially,” the Premier said.

RCEP is a regional free trade agreement that will complement and build upon Australia’s existing free trade agreements with 14 other Indo-Pacific countries comprising Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press