ASEAN to regulate trademarks<\/p>\n
PHUKET, Thailand (Reuter): Southeast Asian economic ministers
\nsaid yesterday they had reached agreement on creating a patent
\nand trademark system and had also endorsed measures to simplify
\ntrading rules in their region.<\/p>\n
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi said a
\nmeeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
\neconomic ministers had agreed on measures to further free up the
\ntrade regime in the area.<\/p>\n
\"This (patent and trademark system) will be a novelty to help
\nsecure the protection of ASEAN citizens,\" Supachai told reporters
\nafter day-long talks on this resort island.<\/p>\n
The ministers agreed to eliminate a regionwide joint
\ninvestment program and breaks in tax incentives originally aimed
\nat boosting intra-regional trade in favor of a single tariff
\nscheme which would lower tariffs on a wide variety of products to
\na maximum of five percent by 2003, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We are in agreement that this incentive scheme is incentive
\nenough for investors,\" Supachai said, referring to a tariff plan
\nconceived under the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA).<\/p>\n
The ASEAN joint investment program, he said, has become too
\nbureaucratic and distorted the trading regime in the region.<\/p>\n
\"We intend to learn from the failure of these programs to
\nenhance industrial cooperation in ASEAN,\" He said.<\/p>\n
Top ASEAN economic officials likewise expressed reservations
\nabout tax and incentive regulations in the Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) forum.<\/p>\n
\"ASEAN should adopt a more unified stand towards APEC,\"
\nSupachai said, adding the issue will be discussed more thoroughly
\nin the group's ministerial meeting in Brunei in September.<\/p>\n
All ASEAN members belong to the 18-member APEC, which is
\ncommitted to implementing a free-trade area in the Asia-Pacific
\nregion by 2020.<\/p>\n
ASEAN links Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore
\nand the Philippines.<\/p>\n
Problems<\/p>\n
The ministers may also discuss problems in reaching agreement
\non putting together a list of unprocessed agricultural products
\nwhere tariff barriers may be reduced along with liberalized rules
\nfor service industries, officials said.<\/p>\n
Supachai reported no further progress on discussions over a
\nlist of products where tariff barriers should be removed. ASEAN
\nofficials have called the products a sensitive list of mainly
\nunprocessed agricultural commodities.<\/p>\n
\"The sensitive list is very sensitive so we have to be
\nsensitive about it,\" a light-hearted Chaiyot Sasomsub, Thai
\ndeputy commerce minister, told reporters before the start of the
\nfirst round of talks yesterday morning.<\/p>\n
Supachai said they would also pursue further talks to
\nliberalize rules in the service industry and that tourism may be
\nthe first area to be opened up.<\/p>\n
ASEAN officials said they are currently working to remove more
\nthan 2,500 products currently covered by tariff barriers.<\/p>\n
Under AFTA, each country will submit a list of industrial
\nproducts where tariff barriers will be lowered to a maximum of
\nfive percent by 2003.<\/p>\n
Malaysia has submitted a list of more than 100 goods, the
\nlargest in ASEAN, on which it does not want tariffs removed.
\nIndonesia has the smallest list with just 27 products.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asean-to-regulate-trademarks-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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