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.