ASEAN Trade Pact Starts Later Than Many Might Think

September 12, 2012
By James Hookway
The Wall Street Journal

Countries across Southeast Asia are already building up to the launch of the region’s free trade zone in 2015 with television specials and other events to publicize the approach of the trade pact, but it has never been exactly clear when it is supposed to take effect—until now.

Instead of January 1, as many observers were assuming, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan Wednesday said the target date is in fact Dec. 31 2015, meaning that the trade pact doesn’t really start until a couple of days into 2016.

Asean officials say an official launch date has never been specified, and the trade group has in any case been working towards the launch of the Asean Economic Community, or AEC, through a series of tariff cuts. “There was never an agreed, exact date to ‘when’ in 2015 we should all work towards—should it be 1st of January? Mid-year? Or year-end 2015,” Mr. Surin said after meeting regional energy ministers in Cambodia Asean’s economic ministers, he said, agreed on Dec. 31.

Japanese investors arrive in Cambodia today

Monday, July 16, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Japanese embassy in Cambodia said that a (Japanese) state delegation, and a large group of private Japanese companies will perform an official visit in Cambodia for 5 days from 16 to 20 July 2007. The visit of the delegation of Japanese investors is the result of the agreement signed on the liberalization and the protection of investment (trade pact) between Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Japanese Prime Minister during the former’s visit to Japan in June 2007. The Japanese delegation will include Kozo Yamamoto, the Japanese deputy minister of commerce and industry, and 30 Japanese company officials. The Japanese delegation will meet Hun Sen and several high ranking Cambodian government officials, and it will also visit the Sihanoukville port.