FILE photo. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet speaks during the opening ceremony of the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine free World landmine conference in Siem Reap province on Nov 25, 2024. - Photo: AFP file
PHNOM PENH: The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has consolidated Asean's regional integration and fostered mutually beneficial economic relations, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Thursday (March 6).
Fueled by robust intra- and inter-Asean trade and a pro-investment environment, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) has been positioned as a strategic hub for global capital flows, Hun Manet told about 600 participants at the opening ceremony of the Cambodia-Asean Business Summit 2025 in Phnom Penh.
The Asean region presented a compelling investment landscape marked by robust economic dynamism and a steadfast commitment to economic partnership and regional integration, he noted.
"Asean's successful navigation of the economic partnership landscape is evident in its comprehensive network of free trade agreements with key leading economies," he said.
Entering into force in 2022, RCEP comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 Asean member states -- Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- and their five trading partners, namely China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
"The ratification of RCEP further solidifies Asean's unwavering commitment to deepening the regional integrations and fostering mutually beneficial economic ties," Hun Manet said.
"Our value and success rest upon multilateralism and consensus with the model of one vision, one identity, and one community," he said.
Meanwhile, the Cambodian leader said that as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Cambodia demonstrated a strong commitment to the transparent and fair trade.
"We focus on realising a dynamic and integrated economic community through robust trade liberalisation and facilitation," he said. - Xinhua
