PHNOM PENH, Aug. 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia hoisted the ASEAN flag adjacent to its national flag at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Friday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN.
Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, along with ambassadors or charge d' affairs of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and ASEAN's dialogue countries, attended the flag-hoisting ceremony.
Sokhonn said throughout the 50 years of history, ASEAN has initiated and carefully nurtured crucial regional architectures that have kept the region stable and prosperous, such as the ASEAN Free Trade Area, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Plus Three, East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus).
"Now, ASEAN has 10 dialogue partners, 35 High Contracting Parties to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), and 87 accredited ambassadors to this regional bloc," he said.
"If we think of ASEAN as a single country, it is a global economic and trade powerhouse, ranking sixth worldwide in terms of its combined GDP (Gross Domestic Product)," he said.
In 2015, ASEAN's total trade ranked fourth after China, United States and Germany, the minister said, adding that in the same year, ASEAN attracted 121 billion U.S. dollars or 7 percent of total global foreign direct investment inflows.
"With a population of over 600 million, an increasingly integrated market with well enhanced connectivity, ASEAN is well positioned in terms of competitiveness and attractiveness both as a market and regional supply chain," the minister said.
He added that after the establishment of the ASEAN Community at the end of 2015, the regional bloc has now been advancing boldly and gradually to achieve its Community Vision 2025 and beyond.
Founded on Aug. 8, 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
