Recap of this year’s ASEAN FM meet and look ahead
TH IS year’s edition of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) hosted by Cambodia comes against the backdrop of heightened global tensions and increasing rivalry between major powers that have been compared to the animosity of the Cold War era.
The following is The Post’s recap of the 55th AMM as it concludes on August 5; an overview of the official statements and unofficial comments made on the sidelines; and an analysis of the event’s potential bearing on the Kingdom’s and ASEAN’s relations with the rival superpowers and other important economic and diplomatic partners.
China
In his meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen, China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said bilateral relations between Cambodia and China have a solid foundation and depth across many sectors.
Wang said China will continue to support Cambodia’s internal and political policies which respond to the needs of the people, citing the recent commune council elections as proof of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) ruling mandate reflecting the will of the people and their support for Hun Sen as the nation’s leader.
“China will continue to strongly support the next generation of leaders, which is key to protecting the peace in Cambodia, as well as for the sake of friendship and cooperation between Cambodia and China. This is especially true as the two countries are building a community of common destiny,” Wang was quoted as saying in the premier’s social media post after the meeting.
In response to Wang’s remarks, Hun Sen said Cambodia’s commitment to its friendship with China would be unwavering and durable regardless of changes in the Kingdom’s leadership when the current leaders pass the torch along to the next generation.
Wang also pointedly thanked Hun Sen for publicly reiterating Cambodia’s commitment to the “OneChina Policy”, following the August 2 visit of US House Speaker Nancy
who depend on agriculture as their main source of income, agricultural production methods must be modernised.
“Cambodia must increase its competitiveness in domestic and international markets, which means improving access to finance, increasing valueadded, reducing climate risk, improving quality and adhering to safety standards and increasing access to agricultural services,” Blinken said.
Patrick Murphy, US ambassador to Cambodia, said the Harvest
III project would help farmers grow their trade and bring in modern technology that would raise productivity, add value to their products and achieve sustainable development.
“Both USAID and the US Department of Agriculture have been implementing programmes that support the provision of resilient food security funds and contribute to Cambodia’s economic growth,” he said.
Kann Kunthy, director-general of Cambodian Agricultural Corporation Company (CACC), a subsidiary of Amru Rice (Cambodia) Co Ltd, said the Harvest II fund, implemented in the past, has helped the company.
The fund enabled export of processed organic cashew nuts under a Khmer brand name, which is the first for Cambodia.
“We are interested in the Harvest III project but we want to see the criteria first. If it is not too complicated, we would apply for funding from the project,” he said.
Bun Seang, president of Natural Agriculture Village Company, said her company received about $50,000 from Harvest II, which was used to connect farmers to markets and increase the quality of vegetables for consumers.
“The challenge for vegetable growers today is the weather. We hope that the Harvest III project will help us address climate change by allowing us to continue producing safe vegetables in every season to meet market demand,” she said.
The Harvest project has already run twice. Over the past five years, the Harvest II project has helped the private sector increase capital investment by about $28 million and create more than 2,500 jobs.
It also supported the development of 17 agricultural policies as well as businesses and
producers in the horticultural field while increasing sales by more than $75 million.