ASEAN officials review trade and IT problems

ASEAN officials review trade and IT problems

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (AP): Senior economic officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations opened three days of discussions Tuesday to review problems in putting in place a regional free trade area and improving capacity for information technology industries.

Malaysia, which has spent the two decades building up a national car industry, has sought flexibility from other members of the ASEAN Free Trade Area over original requirement to drop virtually all tariff barriers in internal trade by 2003, saying that its automotive industry needs at least two additional years of protection to be strong enough to adapt.

International automakers have invested heavily in Thailand in the past several years with the goal of exporting cars under tariff-free rules to other members of the 10-nation grouping, which also includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

The officials, who are mulling economic issues ahead of a meeting of regional finance minister in Hanoi next month and a summit of ASEAN leaders in Brunei in November, were also reviewing projects to increase the infrastructure and legal framework for information technology in the region.

They were also to consider progress made in plans for citizens of member countries to apply for visas via the Internet and making travel easier between the nations, and to discuss integrating trade and investments in the region and narrowing the gap in development between rich and poor member states.