Prime Minister Hun Sen, as ASEAN chair, led an APT meeting on the morning of November 12 at Sokha Hotel in Phnom Penh. The APT includes China, Japan and South Korea, as well as the ASEAN members. SPM Hong Menea
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) is desperately important for ASEAN in all aspects of cooperation, including in the fields of the economy, peace, and politics.
Hun Sen, as ASEAN chair, led an APT meeting on the morning of November 12 at Sokha Hotel in Phnom Penh. The APT includes China, Japan and South Korea, as well as the ASEAN members.
The meeting reflected the unwavering commitment of ASEAN leaders and the three countries to strengthening and deepening cooperation in all sectors, and solving common challenges in the regional and global context, said a statement on Hun Sen’s social media after the meeting.
It said that the APT sticks to the spirit of unity under all circumstances. The successes and achievements of the group came from their close cooperation and strong solidarity.
The APT was formed in December 1997 to promote cooperation in East Asia, with ASEAN as a driver. The cooperation has been expanded into many sectors including politics, security, trade, investment, financing, energy, tourism, agriculture, forestry, the environment, education, health, culture, and arts, according to the statement.
Following the meeting, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press statement, saying that Japan will facilitate quality infrastructure investment based on the master plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. It will also support soft connectivity areas such as information and communication technologies, development of legal systems and foster people-to-people exchanges, among other programmes.
“Japan will assist ASEAN in formulating a region-wide ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan towards 2030,” the statement added.
The meeting also touched on several global issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the crisis in Myanmar, and the Korean Peninsula issue, among others.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the illegal “annexation” infringed upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and violated international law, including the United Nations Charter. He emphasised that any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force should never be tolerated anywhere in the world, including Asia.
“Prime Minister Kishida expressed his intention to deepen cooperation under the ASEAN Plus Three framework in order to maintain and strengthen a free and open international order based on the rule of law, not force, in the region,” added the statement.
