Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Hun Sen attended Wednesday afternoon’s 24th ASEAN Plus Three Summit. It includes the countries of China, Japan and Korea. In his remarks via videoconference, the Prime Minister says ASEAN Plus Three, APT, has been “the indispensable core driving force for enhancing the cooperation of East Asia as well as for effective responses to crises”. He continued that, “amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the APT region continues to be an essential growth engine for regional and global socio-economic development.”
To expedite socio-economic recovery, the Prime Minister has urged the “Plus Three” countries to provide more support for the implementation of regional mechanisms, namely: the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases; the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies; the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework and the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework.
The Prime Minister has also requested that they further promote effective implementation of the ASEAN Plus Three Plan of Action on Mitigating the Economic Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the ASEAN Plus Three Economic Cooperation Work Program 2021-2022, stressing the need for ASEAN Plus Three countries to ratify the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) so that it can be in effect from early next year.
Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his appreciation for the progress of the implementation of the APT Work Plan 2018-2022. He said he would like the Work Plan for 2023-2027 to focus on public health security, capacity-building for micro, small and medium enterprises and cooperation in the digital economy, climate change-resilient agricultural production and sustainable energy.
According to Minister Attached to the Prime Minister, Kao Kim Hourn, during the summit, APT leaders underscored the importance of continuing to work together to strengthen their cooperation. They also discussed existing mechanisms related to food security, food reserves and connectivity, particularly the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 as well as the vision to build not only ASEAN, but the APT Community as a whole.
