ASEAN moving early on trade liberalization
JAKARTA (JP): Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold a series of meetings to boost sub- regional cooperation in an effort to accelerate trade liberalization.
"The acceleration of trade liberalization in ASEAN through sub-regional cooperation is necessary as other members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum liberalize," Coordinating Minister for Industry and Trade Hartarto told reporters after meeting with President Soeharto at the Merdeka Palace yesterday.
ASEAN has been committed to accelerating trade liberalization under a Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme within five years of the original target of 2008, while APEC leaders last week agreed on trade liberalization by 2010 for its developed member economies and by 2020 for its developing members.
APEC groups ASEAN members -- Brunei, Indonesia. Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand -- and 12 other economies.
Hartarto, who was accompanied by Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono in yesterday's meeting with Soeharto, said Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines will hold a ministerial meeting in Manado of North Sulawesi on Nov. 30 to discuss economic cooperation at the East ASEAN Growth Area (EAGA), which will involve the four countries.
"Discussions at the Manado meeting will be focused on the development of cooperation in intra-ASEAN trade and investment, sea and air transportation, fishery, energy, mining and tourism," Hartarto said, adding that the ministers will also discuss a plan to assign the Asian Development Bank to study the feasibility of the EAGA cooperation.
The ministerial meeting will be preceded by a two-day meeting of senior officials beginning next Monday.
Businessmen and officials of the four countries made a resolution after a three-day meeting in the Philippine city of Davao last week that they will boost cooperation in fishery, forestry and tourism.
Penang
Hartarto said Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand will also hold a ministerial meeting on Dec. 16 in Penang of Malaysia to discuss technical implementation of cooperation at the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT).
"Discussions at the ministerial meeting will be focused on the development of cooperation in tourism, fishery, sub-regional trade, industrial relocation from Malaysia to Sumatra, telecommunications, transportation and labor mobility," Hartarto said.
The Penang meeting will be preceded by a senior official meeting on Dec. 14-15 and a business meeting on Dec. 14, he said.
Technical meetings on the development of cooperation in trade, investment and sea and land transportation in the IMT-GT area will take place in Medan of North Sumatra and Banda Aceh of Aceh on Dec.5 and Dec.6, he added.
Hartarto said that he, together with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry Rafidah Azis, will sign a memorandum of understanding in Johor of Malaysia on Dec. 17 on the expansion of the Indonesian area involved in the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle to include all territories of Riau.
He said an executive working committee set up by Indonesia and Singapore is scheduled on Dec. 19 to hold its first meeting to discuss the implementation of last month's agreement to improve cooperation in the tourism industry between the two countries.(fhp)