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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has asked Asean plus China, Japan and South Korea (Asean + 3) to remain committed to keeping markets open and the normal flow of trade, services and investments during the Covid-19 crisis.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, during yesterday’s Asean + 3 (APT) Summit, said that markets must remain open to strengthen regional economic resilience without unnecessary barriers to trade or disruptions to global supply chains.
“While we must continue to strengthen our cooperation in all areas of mutual concern, our focus should now be on our most urgent task at this time, which is the fight against Covid-19.
“Malaysia also hopes that the signing and implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will send a strong message on the importance of strengthening regional economic integration and further stimulating economic growth in the region,” he said.
This year’s summit is hosted by Vietnam via video conference due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Moon Jae-in also attended the APT virtually.
Meanwhile, Muhyiddin noted that Malaysia has expressed the importance of cooperating in utilizing APT’s Emergency Rice Reserve (Apterr) to ensure food security.
Cooperation in Apterr, he said, would help ensure the continued supply of food for those severely affected by the current economic recession as a result of the pandemic.
“As we face these difficult and challenging times together, it is of the utmost importance that Asean and the other three countries deepen our commitment and continue to support each other,” he said.
The APT cooperation was formed in the context of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
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