AKP Phnom Penh, April 29, 2025 --

The Business Roundtable on “Reaping Benefits from ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) Upgrade” was organised on April 28 in Phnom Penh to provide an opportunity for businesses to share experiences around export and import, accessing to the Australian and New Zealand markets. 

H.E. Ms. Tekreth Kamrang, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, presided over the event’s opening ceremony together with Mrs. Kirsty Harris, Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation of the Australian Embassy in Cambodia, with the participation from 173 representatives of relevant ministries, government agencies and private sector. 

In her opening remarks, she expressed deep gratitude to the Governments of Australia and New Zealand for their continued support and close cooperation with the Royal Government of Cambodia, particularly in organising the roundtable under the Regional Trade for Development (RT4D), an initiative to assist ASEAN Member States in utilising and reaping the benefits of the establishment and implementation of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

She added that this roundtable will contribute significantly to providing additional knowledge to all participants, especially the private sector, SMEs, to further understand the benefits of this agreement, especially on technical aspects related to trade in goods, rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary, technical regulations and compliance procedures, trade in services, e-commerce and investment, etc.

Additionally, this forum also provided an opportunity for businesses to share experiences around export and import, accessing to the Australian and New Zealand markets, focusing on the best practices, market tips, strategies and challenges from implementing this agreement.

By Chea Vannak