Sam Campbell
The Mekong Times
With many hoping Cambodia’s mushrooming private sector will become the driving force of development, the relationship between the private sector and the government has become pivotal.
Deputy US Trade Representative Christina Sevilla and Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasith yesterday discussed mechanisms for the private-public sector dialogue necessary for trade development during a forum held at Phnom Penh’s Hotel Le Royal.
Both speakers lauded the progress made and conceded that further reform is needed.
Sevilla, head of office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison at the office of the US Trade Representative Office, told reporters she was here primarily to discuss the US model for stakeholder consultations but her visit was also to “build up on the US-Cambodia relationship, [and] find ways to strengthen and deepen our bilateral relationship through the trade and investment framework.”
Her appraisal of Cambodian reform was generally favorable, and she encouraged further progress.
“We commend the Cambodian government for the impressive strides it has taken to increase transparency and dialogue with the private sector,” Sevilla said.
Trade between the US and Cambodia, which rose to US$2.6 billion last year and is expected to top US$3 billion in 2008, is a US priority, she stressed.
“We have a very robust trade relationship, building on the Bilateral Trade Agreement as well as the US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement,” she said, listing garments, shoes, wood and fish products as major Cambodian exports to the US.
The US places “a great deal of importance on strengthening and deepening our bilateral relationship,” she added, revealing that last November’s visit from US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, the first visit by a US Trade Representative to the Kingdom, is to be followed by a visit from Ambassador John Veroneau, a deputy US trade representative.
But “implementing WTO commitments, strengthening the IPR [Intellectual Property Rights] regime and improving the business climate” remain priority concerns.
The US remains committed to helping Cambodia to improve the business and investment climate, she said.
“We in the US also dialogue very closely between the government and the private sector … we value transparency and the ability of the public and the private sector to provide comment on trade policy,” Sevilla concluded, expressing hopes that the US and Cambodia could “learn from each other’s experiences.”
The Cambodian government has prioritized trade reforms since 1999, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said, encouraging transparency and building confidence through legislative reform, increasing export capacity and fostering better human resources. He called these the “three pillars” of the government’s strategy.
Cham Prasidh claimed governmental reforms had already saved the private sector an estimated US$69.2 million, and the government would continue to “guide the private sector for best interests.”
He conceded that “the system is not perfect,” and that “there is still work to be done,” vowing that the government would continue improvements until all private sector concerns had been allayed.
US Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli said that “there are certainly problems” in Cambodia’s labor sector but the Kingdom is “doing much better than its neighbors.”
“Part of the problem in the labor field is that in some ways there’s too much freedom – too many labor unions, not enough consolidation, not enough communication with garment factories themselves,” he said. “But, by-an-large, the Cambodian workforce is doing very well in garment factories. There’s room for improvement, but while we’re concerned, we still think there’s progress being made.”
Deputy US Trade Representative Christina Sevilla and Cambodian Commerce Minister Cham Prasith yesterday discussed mechanisms for the private-public sector dialogue necessary for trade development during a forum held at Phnom Penh’s Hotel Le Royal.
Both speakers lauded the progress made and conceded that further reform is needed.
Sevilla, head of office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison at the office of the US Trade Representative Office, told reporters she was here primarily to discuss the US model for stakeholder consultations but her visit was also to “build up on the US-Cambodia relationship, [and] find ways to strengthen and deepen our bilateral relationship through the trade and investment framework.”
Her appraisal of Cambodian reform was generally favorable, and she encouraged further progress.
“We commend the Cambodian government for the impressive strides it has taken to increase transparency and dialogue with the private sector,” Sevilla said.
Trade between the US and Cambodia, which rose to US$2.6 billion last year and is expected to top US$3 billion in 2008, is a US priority, she stressed.
“We have a very robust trade relationship, building on the Bilateral Trade Agreement as well as the US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement,” she said, listing garments, shoes, wood and fish products as major Cambodian exports to the US.
The US places “a great deal of importance on strengthening and deepening our bilateral relationship,” she added, revealing that last November’s visit from US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, the first visit by a US Trade Representative to the Kingdom, is to be followed by a visit from Ambassador John Veroneau, a deputy US trade representative.
But “implementing WTO commitments, strengthening the IPR [Intellectual Property Rights] regime and improving the business climate” remain priority concerns.
The US remains committed to helping Cambodia to improve the business and investment climate, she said.
“We in the US also dialogue very closely between the government and the private sector … we value transparency and the ability of the public and the private sector to provide comment on trade policy,” Sevilla concluded, expressing hopes that the US and Cambodia could “learn from each other’s experiences.”
The Cambodian government has prioritized trade reforms since 1999, Commerce Minister Cham Prasidh said, encouraging transparency and building confidence through legislative reform, increasing export capacity and fostering better human resources. He called these the “three pillars” of the government’s strategy.
Cham Prasidh claimed governmental reforms had already saved the private sector an estimated US$69.2 million, and the government would continue to “guide the private sector for best interests.”
He conceded that “the system is not perfect,” and that “there is still work to be done,” vowing that the government would continue improvements until all private sector concerns had been allayed.
US Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph Mussomeli said that “there are certainly problems” in Cambodia’s labor sector but the Kingdom is “doing much better than its neighbors.”
“Part of the problem in the labor field is that in some ways there’s too much freedom – too many labor unions, not enough consolidation, not enough communication with garment factories themselves,” he said. “But, by-an-large, the Cambodian workforce is doing very well in garment factories. There’s room for improvement, but while we’re concerned, we still think there’s progress being made.”
1 comment:
The vultures are circling, and you know it when the US are saying "Part of the problem in the labor field is that in some ways there’s too much freedom.........."
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