AKP Phnom Penh, October 13, 2025 --

Peace is indispensable in a rules-based international trading system, said H.E. Prof. Dr. Sok Siphana, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions and Chairman of the Trade Policy Advisory Board. 

Speaking at the 2025 World Trade Forum and Related Meetings in Italy recently, H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana said hot wars are one of the main features of global trade disorder, naming the recent example of how Thailand's aggression and unilateral border closure have impacted the US$3 billion bilateral trade. 

H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana also underscored that the global trade regime is increasingly paralysed by political tensions, economic uncertainties, and growing fragmentation. He warned that the weakening of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the rise of regional and mini-lateral arrangements reflect an alarming shift from a cooperative to a competitive trading environment.

H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana also highlighted the developments of the world trade system, in which global trade regime has become paralysed by the growing uncertainties in geopolitics and economies. 

By Heng Panha