VERBATIM TEXT

 

OPENING REMARKS BY

 

THE HONOURABLE DATO’ SERI ANWAR BIN IBRAHIM

PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

 

AT THE

 

5TH REGIONAL COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP (RCEP) SUMMIT

 

Your Majesty, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

1. Again, on behalf of the Government and people of Malaysia, I welcome all of you to the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit.

 

2. Now, it carries a special significance because it is the first gathering of RCEP leaders since its signing. Signing the agreement in 2020 at the height of COVID-19 pandemic.

 

3. Since then, trade, investment, and people-to-people exchanges have rebounded strongly, underscoring our resilience and shared prosperity that define the RCEP spirit.

 

4. So again, we meet at a pivotal moment, and to us, the steady importance of this meeting is clearer than ever.

 

 

5. So, seize this opportunity to engage in an open and forward-looking dialogue, and by working together, we know the results and certainly to ensure that we lay the foundation for peace, for enduring peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific.

 

6. So, thank you again to all present and we will proceed as agreed by the Foreign Ministers. The Foreign Ministers actually made a lot of instructions to us. We can choose to overrule them. But then they said that the meeting should be closed.

 

7. So, members of the media, please go and have your tea and coffee and cakes. Come back when we need you.

 

Thank you, Terima kasih, Arigato gozaimasu, Xiexie, Kamsahamnida.