PHNOM PENH: H.E. Mrs. CHAM Nimul, Cambodian Minister of Commerce, had a bilateral meeting with H.E. SAITO Ken, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan, to discuss and strengthen friendship and bilateral economic and trade relations between Cambodia and Japan.

During the meeting held in Tokyo this afternoon, H.E. SAITO Ken expressed his warm welcome to the H.E. Minister for her presence in Japan on the occasion of the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation and expressed his heartfelt congratulation to H.E. Mrs. CHAM Nimul on her appointment as the Minster of Commerce of Cambodia.

In response, the Cambodian commerce minister expressed her appreciation to H.E. SAITO Ken for his time, on his tight schedule, to meet with her and the Ministry of Commerce's delegation.

During the discussion, both parties noted a remarkable achievement in the bilateral trade flows between Japan and Cambodia that have been made so far. In this regard, both parties discussed and exchanged ideas and best practices towards further strengthening and promoting business activities and bilateral trade between the two countries, in particular emphasizing the importance of better implementation of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) and the RCEP Agreement to further strengthen trade relations and economic cooperation between the two countries.

In closing, H.E. Mrs. CHAM Nimul underscored the importance of engagement by the Japanese private sector to Cambodia's economic development, especially for employment creation, as well as trade and industry diversifications in Cambodia.

At the same time, she also encouraged Japanese businesses and investments to conduct more business operations and further invest in high-value-added sectors that the Royal Government of Cambodia has considered as prioritized sectors for economic development, such as agriculture and agro-processing, garments and footwear, tourism, creative industries, research and development, transport and logistics, technology and digital infrastructure, financial services, and education services, especially the establishment of the special economic zones (SEZ) and industrial parks.