ASEAN finalizes 2020 economic vision
JAKARTA (JP): Economic ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) put the final touches to recommendations for the grouping's economic vision for 2020 yesterday.
The ministers, in a one-day special meeting here, also agreed to assist the group's upcoming new members -- Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar -- to adopt the association's economic programs.
Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Production and Distribution Hartarto said the meeting was part of preparations for the leaders summit in Kuala Lumpur in December.
Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Rafidah Aziz said the results of yesterday's meeting would be presented to the summit.
"We have finalized our recommendations for the economic inputs. We now are able to perceive whatever we need to do," Rafidah told reporters after the meeting.
Hartarto and Rafidah said that the results of the meeting would be discussed more extensively by the economic ministers at another meeting in Kuala Lumpur in October.
A joint meeting between foreign ministers and economic ministers will also be held to finalize the vision with the inclusion of other aspects, such as political and development cooperation.
No details were given on the vision. But a Ministry of Industry and Trade source said a set of goals had been listed in the vision report as vehicles to achieve an efficient Southeast Asian economic region.
They included the realization of an ASEAN investment area by 2010, along with the promotion of a free investment flows by 2020.
Indonesia's director general for the national secretariat of ASEAN, Raharjo Jamtomo, said the meeting did not discuss details.
"We talked about vision, what we imagine will happen in 2020 in fields such as trade, services, investment and others," he said,
He added that the ASEAN vision for 2020 would focus on economic cooperation.
The meeting was attended by ministers, mostly trade ministers, from the group's seven members -- Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- and ASEAN Secretary General Ajit Singh.
Representatives from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar were also present at the meeting. The three countries would be admitted as full members next month.
Rafidah said the presence of representatives from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar was needed to keep them suitably informed of any economic developments within ASEAN.
Besides the vision, Rafidah said the ministers also agreed to notify each other if their countries made any modification to their tariff structures.
Such notification was necessary to avoid any unnecessary losses on the part of other members as a result of sudden changes in a country's tariff structure, she said. (rid)