Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com), February 23 – The 31st meeting of the Cambodia-Japan Joint Committee under the framework of the Cambodia-Japan Investment Liberalization, Promotion and Protection Agreement, co-chaired by Chea Vudi, Secretary General of the Investment Committee of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, and Atsushi Ueno, Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, was successfully held in a hybrid "online + offline" format.
The meeting brought together nearly 200 representatives from relevant Cambodian government ministries, the Japan Chamber of Commerce in Cambodia (JBAC), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and Japanese-invested enterprises in Cambodia. They conducted in-depth discussions on core issues such as deepening bilateral investment cooperation and optimizing the business environment, reaching broad consensus.
In his address, Secretary General Chea Vudi, on behalf of the Cambodian government, expressed sincere gratitude to the Japanese government and people for their long-term support for Cambodia's socio-economic development. He pointed out that over the past thirty years, Japan has successfully transformed from a major aid provider to Cambodia into an important economic partner, continuously encouraging Japanese-invested enterprises to deepen their presence in the Cambodian market. He specifically reviewed the development of the bilateral cooperation mechanism: In 2007, under the joint promotion of then Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the two countries formally signed an investment agreement; the agreement came into effect in 2008, laying a solid legal foundation for bilateral economic and trade cooperation; and a regular dialogue mechanism was established in 2009, which has successfully held 31 meetings to date, becoming an important link for deepening cooperation. Xie Wudi emphasized that the construction of special economic zones and the implementation of this investment agreement have been the core driving forces attracting large-scale Japanese investment to Cambodia over the past decade.
Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Atsushi Ueno highly praised the Cambodian Development Council for its long-term coordination services and rights protection for Japanese investors, and particularly affirmed the professionalism and sincerity of relevant Cambodian ministries in responding to investor concerns and resolving practical problems. He clearly stated that the Japanese government will support Cambodia in combating online fraud and related criminal activities to enhance international investors' confidence in the Cambodian market; at the same time, it will properly resolve the border situation through diplomatic channels to ensure a stable and orderly cross-border logistics and trade environment.
It is understood that this meeting focused on strategic issues such as optimizing tax policies, coordinating environmental protection, promoting trade facilitation, improving logistics efficiency, ensuring stable energy supply, and guaranteeing public safety, and conducted fruitful and pragmatic exchanges.
Secretary-General Xie Wudi expressed optimism about the meeting's outcomes. He stated that such high-level dialogue mechanisms can accurately focus on and solve the challenges faced by enterprises, not only helping to stabilize existing Japanese investment but also attracting more high-value-added new projects, injecting strong momentum into Cambodia's efforts to diversify its capital sources and optimize and upgrade its industrial structure.
