S'pore, RP aim for more cooperation<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AP): Officials from Singapore and the Philippines
\nagreed Monday to boost economic cooperation between their
\ncountries, an official said.<\/p>\n
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Philippine Vice
\nPresident Teofisto Guingona agreed that "more could be done" to
\nimplement an economic cooperation "action plan" established
\nearlier between the two Southeast Asian nations, Goh's spokesman
\nsaid. He gave no further details.<\/p>\n
The action plan includes cooperation in information
\ntechnology, tourism and other areas, said spokesman Ong Keng
\nYong.<\/p>\n
Singapore aggressively promotes information technology, or IT,
\nas a key to prosperity in the high-tech "new economy" of the 21st
\ncentury. The wealthy city-state has urged other countries in the
\nAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, to raise
\ncomputer literacy and build Internet infrastructure.<\/p>\n
In their discussions in Singapore Monday, Goh told Guingona
\nthat Filipinos' English-language proficiency gives the country a
\nnatural advantage because "most IT work is done in English," Ong
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Guingona was in Singapore Sunday and Monday during an official
\ntour of ASEAN countries. He is also the Philippines' foreign
\nsecretary.<\/p>\n
Guingona and Goh also discussed how ASEAN "can be strengthened
\nso that more foreign investors will be attracted to the region,"
\nGoh's office said in a statement.<\/p>\n
ASEAN, a 10-member economic and political bloc formed more
\nthan three decades ago, has recently drawn criticism for failing
\nto provide more help in dealing with problems, including Asia's
\n1997-98 economic crisis and recurrent brush fires in Indonesia
\nthat sometimes blanket other countries in the region with severe
\npollution.<\/p>\n
ASEAN members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
\nMyanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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