On September 17, 2022, the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand held the first ministerial meeting after the RCEP came into effect in Siem Reap, Cambodia. After the unanimous consent of all parties, a joint media statement was issued after the meeting.
Joint Media Statement of the First Ministerial Meeting of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
On September 17, 2022, the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand held the first ministerial meeting after RCEP took effect in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The meeting was co-chaired by Indonesian Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaka and New Zealand's Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth Phil Twyford.
The meeting welcomed the entry into force of RCEP from 1 January 2022. Cambodia is the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2022 and the rotating chair of ASEAN when the RCEP negotiations were launched in 2012. The meeting noted that the RCEP agreement is of great significance to the region, and it is expected that all signatories will complete the approval of the agreement.
The meeting noted the progress made by the RCEP Joint Committee and welcomed the establishment of subsidiary bodies under the supervision of the Joint Committee. The meeting encouraged officials from various countries to work hard to increase the utilization rate of RCEP, and monitor and review the implementation of the agreement to improve the regional business environment. To this end, the Conference reaffirmed that any measures inconsistent with the obligations under the Agreement should be avoided. The meeting looked forward to the rapid establishment of the RCEP Secretariat according to the terms agreed by all parties to provide secretarial and technical support for the RCEP Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies.
The meeting believed that RCEP can contribute to the recovery of the region after the epidemic and the establishment of a more resilient supply chain. To this end, the meeting emphasized that RCEP should be used at a high level to further promote regional economic integration.
Joint Media Statement of the Inaugural RCEP Ministers' Meeting
17 September 2022, Siem Reap, Cambodia
1. ASEAN Member States alongside Australia, China, Japan, Korea, and New Zealand gathered in Siem Reap on 17 September 2022 for the Inaugural RCEP Ministers' Meeting. The Meeting was co-chaired by HE Dr. Jerry Sambuaga, Vice Minister of Trade of Indonesia and HE the Hon Phil Twyford, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth of New Zealand.
2. The Meeting welcomed the entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement on 1 January 2022, which also almost coincides with the launch of the RCEP negotiations in 2012 when Cambodia was also the ASEAN Chair. ance of the RCEP Agreement to the region, the Meeting looked forward to its ratification by all signatory States.
3. The Meeting noted the progress of the work of the RCEP Joint Committee and welcomed the establishment of subsidiary bodies under the Joint Committee's supervision. The Meeting encouraged officials to work to expand the utilization of the RCEP Agreement and to monitor and review the implementation of the RCEP Agreement to improve business environment in the region. The Meeting, in this connection, reaffirmed the necessity to refrain from taking any measures inconsistent with the obligations under the RCEP Agreement. The Meeting looked forward to the expeditious establishment of the RCEP Se cretariat, on terms to be agreed by the Parties, to provide secretariat and technical support to the RCEP Joint Committee and its subsidiary bodies.
4. The Meeting shared the view that the RCEP could contribute to the region’s post-pandemic recovery efforts and to creating a more resilient supply chain. In this regard, the Meeting highlighted the need to promote greater utilisation of the RCEP Agreement to deepen regional economic integration.