Wednesday, May 09, 2007

To APEC or not to APEC: that is the question

Cambodia eyes APEC membership

PHNOM PENH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia wants to be a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), said a senior official here on Tuesday.

"We want to be an APEC member because we want to integrate our economy into the region and the world," said Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hor Namhong.

However, whether Cambodia becomes an APEC member or not is not important because the East Asia Forum is still very important for the country, he added.

In addition, many members of the APEC are in the East Asia Forum, and the forum is always held in the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said.

The East Asia Forum brings together the 10 ASEAN countries plus China, Japan and South Korea.

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