Phnom Penh, 8 September 2026 — H.E. Dr. Chheang Vannarith, Deputy Secretary-General and Chairman of the National Assembly Advisory Council, on Tuesday morning held talks with Mr. Kensuke Yanagida, Senior Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) and head of delegation, at the National Assembly Palace.
 
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Shin Oya, Chief Analyst at the Sojitz Research Institute; Ms. Yumi Iijima, Lecturer at the Prefectural University of Kumamoto; and officials from the Legal, Research and International Relations Departments of the Secretariat-General of the National Assembly.
 
The discussion focused on economic security, including supply-chain resilience, critical infrastructure, digital transformation and trade diversification. Both sides also explored opportunities to strengthen Cambodia–Japan cooperation through policy exchanges, human capital development and technological advancement.
 
H.E. Dr. Chheang Vannarith emphasized the need to strengthen Cambodia’s economic resilience amid fluctuations in global energy prices, supply-chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions and security challenges arising from recent border disputes.
 
He noted that greater economic resilience would be particularly important as Cambodia prepares to graduate from least developed country status in 2029.
 
To avoid the middle-income trap, Cambodia is promoting digital transformation, human capital development and trade diversification. Dr. Chheang Vannarith highlighted the National Bank of Cambodia’s Bakong payment system, the verify.gov.kh document-verification platform and measures to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises.
 
The discussion also covered Cambodia’s participation in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and prospects for future engagement with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
 
The Cambodian side outlined measures to combat cross-border cybercrime, online scams and human trafficking. These include plans to host an international conference in Cambodia to strengthen cooperation among relevant authorities.
 
The JIIA delegation shared Japan’s experience in implementing its Economic Security Promotion Act and establishing the position of minister responsible for economic security.
 
Mr. Kensuke Yanagida and Mr. Shin Oya outlined four key areas of Japan’s approach: securing supply chains, protecting critical infrastructure, safeguarding sensitive patents and developing specialized technologies to achieve strategic indispensability.
 
Drawing on Japan’s experience following the 2010 Senkaku Islands dispute and subsequent restrictions on rare-earth exports, the Japanese experts emphasized the importance of diversifying supply chains and reducing dependence on a single source for critical materials.
 
Both sides expressed their commitment to strengthening Cambodia–Japan cooperation in digital governance, trade policy and green transformation. They also highlighted the importance of ASEAN–Japan cooperation in supporting a rules-based trading system and strengthening regional economic resilience.
 
The meeting underscored the value of continued exchanges of experience and policy frameworks to promote industrial development, technological advancement and long-term economic resilience.