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THE 7^th REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP (RCEP) INTERSESSIONAL MINISTERIAL MEETING

2 March 2019, Siem Reap, Cambodia JOINT MEDIA STATEMENT

1. The Ministers from the 16 RCEP Participating Countries (RPCs) attended the 7^th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held on 2 March 2019 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Meeting was opened by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia and was chaired by H.E. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Acting Minister of Commerce of Thailand, reviewed the developments since the 2^nd RCEP Summit on 14 November 2018 in Singapore, particularly the outcomes of the 2^nd Special TNC Meeting held on 25-26 January 2019 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the 25^th RCEP Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) Meeting and Related Meetings held on 19-28 February 2019 in Bali, Indonesia.

2. The Ministers recalled the Leaders’ determination to conclude a modern, comprehensive, high quality, and mutually beneficial RCEP in 2019, and resolved to exert utmost effort to achieve this target. They commended the RCEP Trade Negotiating Committee (TNC) for the good progress made to date on both market access and text-based negotiations but at the same time recognized that more work still needs to be done to advance both aspects of the negotiations. The Ministers urged all RPCs to address specific sensitivities while working towards achieving commercially meaningful and balanced outcomes. The Ministers remained confident that with collective commitment and pragmatism, the chapters and annexes that would comprise the RCEP Agreement can be concluded soon. The Ministers reiterated that it is the collective responsibility of all RPCs to ensure progress by overcoming negotiation challenges and finding solutions to the remaining issues through constructive engagement.

3. To ensure that progress is made towards meeting the Leaders’ mandate for conclusion in 2019, the Ministers agreed to intensify engagement for the remainder of the year, including by convening more intersessional meetings. The Ministers agreed to meet next at the 8^th RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting to be held in August 2019 after the 27^th RCEP TNC Meeting and Related Meetings.

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LIST OF RCEP MINISTERS

(a) Hon Mark Coulton MP, Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment representing Hon Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia

(b) H.E. Dato Dr. Amin Liew Abdullah, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, Brunei Darussalam;

(c) H.E. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, Cambodia;

(d) H.E. Li Chenggang, Assistant Minister of Commerce representing H.E. Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce, People’s Republic of China;

(e) H.E. Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister for Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation, India;

(f) H.E. Enggartiasto Lukita, Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia;

(g) H.E. Hiroshige Seko, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan;

(h) H.E. Ms. Myung Hee Yoo, Minister for Trade, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea;

(i) H.E. Mrs. Khemmani Pholsena, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Lao PDR;

(j) H.E. Darell Leiking, Minister of International Trade and Industry, Malaysia;

(k) H.E. Thaung Tun, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Myanmar (l) Michael Wood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Ethnic Communities

representing Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister of State for Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand;

(m) H.E. Ramon M. Lopez, Secretary of Trade and Industry, Republic of the Philippines;

(n) H.E. Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore;

(o) H.E. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Deputy Minister of Commerce, Acting Minister of Commerce, Thailand;

(p) H.E. Tran Quoc Khanh, Vice Minister of Ministry of Industry and Trade^, representing H.E. Tran Tuan Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, Viet Nam; and

(q) H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Secretary-General of ASEAN.

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（經濟部國際貿易局中譯，如有不一致以英文為準。）

RCEP 第 7 屆期中部長會議 2019 年 3 月 2 日柬埔寨暹粒

聯合聲明

1. 來自 16 個 RCEP 成員的部長參加本(2019)年 3 月 2 日在柬埔寨暹粒舉行的 RCEP 第 7 屆期中部長會議，會議由柬埔寨首相 Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN 主持開幕，並由泰國商務部副部長 H.E. Chutima Bunyapraphasara 擔任主席，檢視自上(2018)年 11 月 14 日在新加坡召開的 RCEP 第 2 屆峰會以來的發展情況，特別是本年 1 月 25 日至 26 日在印尼雅加達舉行的第 2 屆特別貿易談判委員會(TNC)會議、以及 2 月 19 日至 28 日在印尼峇里島舉行 RCEP 第 25 回合談判的相關成果。

2. 部長們回顧領袖決心在本年完成具現代化、全面性、高品質及互利的 RCEP 談判，決意盡最大努力實現此目標，並讚賞成員迄今在市場進入和文本上取得良好的談判進展，

但同時認知仍需更多努力以加速談判。部長們要求所有成員在解決特定敏感問題的同時，須努力實現具商業意義和平衡的結果，並相信透過全體的承諾和務實，可以很快完成 RCEP 協定的相關章節和附件。部長們重申，所有成員具有責任積極參與，克服談判的挑戰及解決未竟議題，以確保取得進展。

3. 為確保實現領袖指示在本年完成談判的承諾，部長們同意在剩餘時間內召開更多會議進行討論，並同意在第 27 回合談判和相關會議後，於 2019 年 8 月舉行第 8 屆 RCEP 期中部長會議。