Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, shared the Cambodia’s vision to promote economic activities in the context of Covid-19 pandemic, in his remarks at the opening ceremony of the 18th China-ASEAN Expo held this morning via videoconference.
After his warm welcome to China as the host nation of this regional trade expo, Samdech Techo Hun Sen said China-ASEAN must continue promoting cooperation in all sectors, especially finance and trade, in order to accelerate the socio-economic recovery in the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis through widening the openness of market and flows of free trade, as well as facilitation of investment flows, which would enable Cambodia and other countries in the region to promote exports of potential commodities and get more financial resources.
On behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia, Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his deep gratitude to the Government and the people of China for the assistance to the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia through all forms of supports, including Covid-19 treatment techniques, medical equipment, and especially the donation of the Covid-19 vaccines as well as the facilitation of vaccine purchases from China.
“I highly commend the Government and the people of China for the active participation and its leading role in the fight against the Covid-19 at the global level, via the production and distribution of vaccines, provision of medical equipment as well as experience-sharing on prevention, care and treatment for the Covid-19 patients,” he underlined.
For Cambodia, he said, despite being regarded as a country with limited resources, the Royal Government of Cambodia has committed to turning this Covid-19 crisis into an opportunity for more in-depth reforms, aiming to build a stronger and more resilient social and economic system to future crises.
For more than a year, the Royal Government of Cambodia, on one hand, has actively combatted the Covid-19 through the implementation of 03 key strategies, namely, prevention, treatment, and vaccination; while on the other hand, has implemented policies to sustain people’s livelihood and business activities across all sectors, added Samdech Techo Hun Sen, stressing that concurrently, to accelerate the re-opening of socio-economic activities and to prevent the spread of the new Covid-19 variants, the Royal Government of Cambodia has launched the Vaccination Campaign for Children and Youth aged 12 to under 18 on Aug. 1, 2021, and the 3rd Dose or Booster Dose Vaccination Campaign for frontline public officials.
As a result of these efforts, he pointed out, Cambodia has become a nation amongst others in the region and the world to have achieved remarkably high-rate of Covid-19 vaccination for its people. By the end of August 2021, compared with the plan, two-dose vaccination rate for the population over the age of 18-year is 86 percent, while the first-dose vaccination rate for children and adolescents from the age 12 to under 18-year is 81 percent. Cambodia will be able to achieve the goal of developing national herd immunity, and to gradually reopen socio-economic activities in the very near future. Given this opportunity, the Royal Government of Cambodia has proactively made unremitting efforts to improve business and investment environment as well as to enhance the competitiveness through the introduction and implementation of sharp measures for reforms, one after another.