Kingdom nears ASEAN needs

20 February 2012
The Phnom Penh Post
Aid and development / Economy and commerce / Infrastructure / Rail / Trade / Trade policy and regulation / Transport infrastructure and facilities
banking and finance / Economics

Cambodia has met 70 per cent of the basic requirements needed to join the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday, referring to a recently updated report issued by the economic block. The Kingdom ranked third in preparedness among the 10 ASEAN member states, behind Singapore and Malaysia, Hun Sen said. Concerns over Cambodia’s railway – which is in disrepair or simply non-existent in many places – were also raised, and some experts said the country would not meet the requirements by 2015. “We have improved in the IT sector and in cross-border business,” the premier said during the 2012 Cambodia Outlook conference in Phnom Penh yesterday. Secretary of State for the Ministry of Economy and Finance Aun Porn Moniroth said Cambodia should focus more on its interconnectivity developments and would need to secure assistance both within and outside of ASEAN. May Kunmakara and Rann Reuy

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012021754563/Business/kingdom-nears-asean-needs.html