Phnom Penh, 1 July 2024: ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe paid a courtesy visit to Cambodia’s Minister of Commerce, H.E. Cham Nimul. Both parties discussed ERIA projects and advanced cooperation between the Ministry of Commerce and ERIA.

H.E. Cham Nimul highlighted the Ministry’s upcoming priorities, including trade policy, e-commerce, sustainable and digital trade, and new technologies such as blockchain. The Minister also emphasised the importance of food security for Cambodia, particularly quality standards, organic products, a food processing hub, and market diversification. The significance of multilateral and regional trade for economic growth was also highlighted.

President Watanabe outlined a key initiative, Cambodia’s Industrial Development Policy 2025. This study will focus on transforming challenges into opportunities for Cambodia, especially considering the current geopolitical context and an analysis of promising sectors for the future. President Watanabe noted ERIA’s role in supporting ASEAN through current initiatives like the Asia Zero Emission Centre (AZE Centre), the ERIA Digital Innovative and Sustainable Economy Centre (E-DISC), and the ERIA School of Government, all of which will be hosted within ERIA. Such efforts also underline ERIA’s commitment to supporting Cambodia’s, as well as ASEAN’s, economic development with a view to a sustainable and prosperous future.