PHNOM PENH: Speaking at the ASEAN + 3 meeting this afternoon, Prime Minister Hun Sen has called the three partner countries (Japan, China and South Korea) to be flexible towards Myanmar's ratification on participating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which Hun Sen is focused to be in force by early 2022.

"I would like to call on ASEAN + 3 members to be flexible in their implementation of the ratification of Myanmar," he said. "We should not all become hostages of Myanmar's ratification, as this is in the best interests of our team."

RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between the ten-members of ASEAN and its six free trade partners: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the United States and the Republic of Korea. The first RCEP negotiations were discussed at the ASEAN Summit in 2012, when Cambodia chaired the ASEAN Summit of that year. It has been nine years since the agreement was fully reached, and it is expected further negotiations will take shape when Cambodia chairs the ASEAN summit next year.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has also requested ASEAN + 3 countries to continue effectively implementing the ASEAN + 3 plan to reduce the economic impact of Covid-19, as well as the Cooperation Work Plan scheduled for this year and 2022.