ASEAN

As Southeast Asia's largest economy, Indonesia has taken over the chairmanship of the regional bloc for 2023 from Cambodia, where the ASEAN Summit was held last November, reports Xinhua news agency. However, the country formally commenced its ASEAN chairmanship on the first day of this year.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen called for building the future of ASEAN as a community that is united, inclusive, resilient and rules-based, and that remains central to the evolving regional architecture, forging external partnerships based on mutual trust and respect for regional and global peace, security and sustainable growth.

Addressing the second ASEAN Women Leaders' Summit in Phnom Penh, which was held in a hybrid format, Hun Sen said women entrepreneurs are a key driving force for sustainable and resilient socio-economic recovery and development toward building a common future and prosperity, reports Xinhua news agency.

The statement was issued after the inaugural RCEP Ministers' Meeting held in northwest Cambodia's Siem Reap province, on the sidelines of the 54th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Economic Ministers' Meeting. The meeting welcomed the entry into force of the RCEP agreement on January 1, 2022 and looked forward to its ratification by all signatory states, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the statement.

"We reaffirm our adherence to the fundamental principles and purposes enshrined in the ASEAN Charter and Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in strengthening ASEAN centrality and unity and upholding a rules-based regional order anchored in international law for the benefit of the people," the declaration said.

Chaired by Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, the retreat was attended in person by the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Laos, and online by foreign ministers of Brunei, Thailand and Vietnam, while Myanmar did not designate a non-political representative for it, reports Xinhua news agency.

The ASEAN Secretariat announced in November that the RCEP agreement would enter into force on January 1, 2022, as it had received instruments of ratification from six ASEAN countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam as well as from four non-ASEAN signatory states of Australia, China, Japan and New Zealand, Xinhua news agency reported.

President Xi made these remarks at the virtual meeting held on Monday between China and ASEAN members commemorating the 30th Anniversary of relations between the sides. China said that it would never seek hegemony nor take advantage of the smaller South Asian countries and instead would like to work with the 10 country bloc to eliminate interference.