Cambodian PM says won't exchange independence, sovereignty for aid

"I still continue to say that we must not exchange our sovereignty for any preference or aid," he said in a speech during the closing ceremony of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's annual conference.As an independent and sovereign state, Cambodia would not bow to such pressure, Hun Sen said.

"It's no value if we cannot enforce our own law," he said.

His reiteration came as the European Union (EU) is expected to make a final decision next month on whether to "totally or partially" suspend Cambodia's duty-free trading access to the EU market under the "Everything But Arms" (EBA) scheme or not.

The EU started in February last year the 18-month process that could lead to the temporary suspension of the EBA scheme for Cambodia due to its concerns over human rights and labor rights.

As a Least Developed Country, Cambodia has, for decades, enjoyed exports of all products, except arms and ammunition, to the EU markets with duty-free.
The country's export to EU was valued at 5.86 billion U.S. dollars in 2018, EU data showed, adding that garment and footwear products accounted for around three-quarters of EU imports from the kingdom.

The garment and footwear industry is Cambodia's biggest export sector, employing about 750,000 people in some 1,100 factories. If suspended, tariffs on garment, footwear and bicycle products to the EU market will increase 12 percent, 16 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, according to a World Bank report.

KEYWORDS - Cambodian PM,Samdech Techo Hun Sen

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons