PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has said that Cambodia, as the 2022 ASEAN Chair, together with other ASEAN member states, will strive to play a more active role in building a bright future for the Asian continent and the world. He made this remark during his speech at the 27th International Conference on the “Future of Asia”, held under the theme of “Redefining Asia’s Role in a Divided World”, via videoconference.

The Prime Minister noted in his speech that the world is currently facing many complicated issues, including the Covid-19 crisis, from which a full recovery, he said, is still an imagination, even as the pandemic has worn off significantly. He described that many countries, including Cambodia, have reopened and resumed socioeconomic activities, but developing countries still continue to be confronted with the spread of Covid-19 as well as face barriers in accessing vaccines and other needed resources, which has made some fall even deeper into economic crisis and social unrest.

The Prime Minister also mentioned the war in Ukraine as something which has brought about an acute change in the global security environment, with high uncertainty and unpredictable dangers, especially causing negative consequences on the recovery of socioeconomic development in the context of the pandemic. He added that this war vividly shows the return of fierce competition between superpowers, which is making the world move toward a new turning point of disunity, divided political and geo-political ideologies and coercing small states into choosing between those superpowers.

Asia, he said, needs to pay more attention to solving other issues, including the need to further strengthen healthcare and social protection systems, address the scarring effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, and leverage the opportunity for digitalization, in order to promote a sustainable and inclusive regional economic recovery, and in particular to continue to ensure Asia's role as the center for global growth.

In regard to Asia’s role in what he noted as a divided world, the Prime Minister shared five main points on what he believed were the tasks Asia should undertake and prioritize. The first, he said, is that Asian countries need to consistently call for all countries to respect each other’s sovereignty and independence, in addition to the choice of governing in accordance with different conditions and characteristics of each country, while also adhering by the principle of peaceful co-existence, non-interference, and respect for one another’s livelihoods, traditions, customs, and history.

The second is to adhere to the principles of "multilateralism" and "rules-based international cooperation”, to not allow any country to be hindered in its development efforts by the imposition of unilateral sanctions, embargoes or other coercive economic measures that violate international law as well as the core principles and purposes, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

The third is that Asian countries should work in tandem to further promote regional cooperation that is open, transparent, inclusive, complementary and mutually beneficial, giving the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as an example that reflects the aspiration and commitment of participating countries to enhance regional cooperation.

The fourth, is to continue maintaining and strengthening Asia’s unity and solidarity amongst countries in Asia, as he said this is the key to promoting peace, security, stability, and development in the region and the world. In this regard, the Prime Minister said ASEAN, as a regional grouping, can play an indispensable role in promoting those noble goals. He gave the example of ASEAN-led mechanisms such as the ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit and ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus, which have managed to bring together all the relevant superpowers, middle powers, and small states to jointly build mutual trust and confidence and to reinforce rules-based regional architecture with ASEAN at the core.

And finally, the fifth, is to collectively strive to revive and promote regional economy in a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive manner, by: (1). continuing to reduce gaps in accessing Covid-19 vaccinations, (2). continuing to prioritize cooperation to strengthen healthcare and social protection systems, (3). further promoting regional connectivity and diversification regarding trade and investment, (4). capturing opportunities from the digital transformation, and (5). addressing climate change and energy transition problems through the promotion of sustainable finance and the investment in green infrastructures.

Concluding his speech, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that as the 2022 ASEAN Chair, Cambodia, together with other ASEAN member states, will strive to play a more active role in building a bright future for the Asian continent and the world.

“We are strengthening ASEAN centrality and unity to ensure ASEAN’s resilience and robustness against the pressure and influence stemming from intensifying geopolitical competition, and other challenges,” he said. “At the same time, we are promoting effective implementation of all agreed-upon initiatives and measures, as well as maximizing the leverage of trade agreements while enhancing both physical and digital connectivity. In addition, we will make the efforts to strengthen the capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises and to promote entrepreneurship amongst women and youth as well as to improve human resource development to respond to the demands and challenges of the digital era and the 4th industrial revolution to accelerate a sustainable and inclusive post-Covid-19 recovery.”

The Future of Asia is an international gathering and one of the most important global conferences in Asia. Organized by Japanese media company, Nikkei Inc., since 1995, political, economic and academic leaders from the Asia-Pacific region are invited to offer their opinions frankly and freely on regional issues and the role of Asia in the world.