ASEAN must rally around new vision

ASEAN must rally around new vision

BANGKOK: Supachai Panitchpakdi's proposal for the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations to include China is sound, given that
the group lacks a progressive attitude.

In recent years, ASEAN has taken few significant initiatives
in making the region more dynamic economically. Some of the
reasons are well known, including the economic and political
crises that erupted beginning in 1997. But the world has moved on
while ASEAN has been left behind to play catch-up.

The groundbreaking proposals by Dr Panitchpakdi, who will take
over the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s top post next year, are
more than timely. In a speech in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, he
strongly proposed that China be brought into the ASEAN Free Trade
Area (AFTA), whose tariff reductions should be further brought
forward.

At the same time, links must be forged with other major North
Asian nations, such as Japan and South Korea, to form the East
Asia Economic community. ASEAN can evolve into a bigger regional
grouping, at least economically.

The proposals should be adopted by the leaders of ASEAN and
North Asian countries as a new engine of economic dynamism. East
Asia in many ways has already fallen behind due to internal
difficulties faced by respective countries. This is all the more
reason for the region to come together and work as a bloc for the
future of the people.

As pointed out by Dr Phisit Pakkasem, former chief of the
National Economic and Social Development Board and a member of
the East Asia Vision Group, the Americas have made progress in
the formation of a Free Trade Associations of the Americas, with
the backing of the United States. The pact is expected take
effect by 2005. Meanwhile, the European Community plans to give
special trade access to 54 least developed countries.

The actions of the Americas and the EU will further strengthen
their trade blocs. Asia has not really come together and many of
the recent efforts at regionalism through the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation forum (APEC) have not borne much fruit
because the agreements are non-binding.

Supachai also stressed that the admission of China into AFTA
is more than just a question of regional ties. It will help ASEAN
to better take advantage of China's entry into the WTO, expected
later this year. ASEAN can ride China's coattails and also become
an attractive location for Chinese investors.

Will leaders of ASEAN live up to the challenge? So far, only
Singapore has been busy making bilateral free trade pacts with
other countries around the world.

Malaysia and Thailand have not played their parts, nor are
Indonesia and the Philippines in a position to become more
aggressive.

A crisis sometimes presents an opportunity for a region to
come together. This is another opportunity for the leaders of
ASEAN to put their heads together and look to the future. It is
not ideas that are missing, but the political will to see them
through.

Otherwise, a bleak future awaits the region, because other
parts of the world have moved on, and other parts of Asia have
other opportunities to pursue. The pan-Asian economic community
is a vision that has been around for some time, but now it needs
to be taken up again and made to work. So simple, and yet so
difficult.

-- The Nation/Asia News Network