PM Hun Sen: Global Post COVID-19 Strategy Needed for Recovery
PM Hun Sen: Global Post COVID-19 Strategy Needed for Recovery
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on global leaders to begin gradually reopening travel and trade across borders and among countries.
His statement was made at a virtual summit named “Rally of Hope” yesterday held by South Korea under the theme: “Rebuilding and Renewing Our Nations in the Post-COVID-19 World”.
“Moving forward, we need to be strategically well-prepared for what the world will look like post-COVID-19,” he said.
“To realise this, we should develop a recovery plan – setting out a number of scenarios for the gradual reopening of cross-border travel and trade between countries in and for recovering the sectors severely hit by the crisis,” Mr Hun Sen said.
He said COVID-19 is continuing to disrupt people’s lives – threatening customs, lifestyles, economies and societies across the world.
“So far, no one knows when the pandemic will end. No one can precisely estimate the total impact of the pandemic on each nation, especially regarding their economy, politics and social order,” he said.
The spread of COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to public health, security and the functioning of the global supply chain, all of which have seriously impacted the livelihoods of people, ultimately resulting in the global economic downturn, he added.
“A joint response and universal solidarity aimed at supporting multilateralism have become even more important. In this regard, Cambodia calls for a cohesive and unified approach at regional and global levels,” Mr Hun Sen said.
He added that countries must continue to cooperate in promoting globalisation and in strengthening multilateral mechanisms to ensure a conducive environment for economic growth and poverty eradication.
“Economic connectivity is key to advancing the development agenda of each country and to achieve the global agenda of sustainable and inclusive development,” Mr Hun Sen said.
Similarly, at the 36th Asean Summit on June 26, Mr Hun Sen called on Asean countries to reopen borders and resume cross border travel and trade operations amongst countries in the region, adding that Asean has proven more successful in fighting COVID-19 compared with other regions.
Meanwhile, at the 2nd High Net Worth Networking Night on Thursday, Senior Minister Ly Thuch said the Cambodia-China free trade agreement is expected to
be signed later this month, with a high-level government delegation led by Mr Hun Sen set to leave for China on Wednesday.
“This trade deal will be a positive development on the existing legal framework of the ASEAN-China Free-Trade Area established in 2010, which paved the way for the export of thousands of goods to China,” he said.
On February 12, the European Commission decided the EU would withdraw part of its trade preferences with Cambodia, due to what it determined as “systematic violations” of human rights in the Kingdom.
