China, ASEAN move to propel regional economy

China, ASEAN move to propel regional economy

Hu Xuan, China Daily, Asia News Network/Beijing

China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
are taking a tangible step towards creating the world's most
populous free trade area (FTA).

They are scheduled to lower tariffs on more than 7,000
industrial goods tomorrow, spearheading the full implementation
of the Agreement on Trade in Goods inked in November last year.

This unequivocally testifies to their resolve to boost common
development and prosperity through enhanced economic and trade
exchanges.

Zhang Yunling, director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific
Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told China
Daily: "The Sino-ASEAN drive to achieve trade liberalization
marks the historic inception of the China-ASEAN FTA, a big free
market encompassing 1.7 billion people, an aggregate gross
domestic product of almost US$2 trillion and overall trade volume
worth $1.2 trillion per year."

Demonstrating cooperation between China and ASEAN, which has
been developed from a mere framework to include more substantial
content, the move is expected to create an ideal environment for
both parties to benefit from economic integration.

Progress in exploratory negotiations over details of the
China-ASEAN FTA has been relatively swift.

In November 2002, leaders from both sides signed the landmark
China-ASEAN Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Co-
operation in Cambodia, agreeing to set up the China-ASEAN FTA
within 10 years, a vital step in making concrete the proposal
former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji made in 2000.

A breakthrough in East Asia's regional economic cooperation as
well as a milestone in Sino-ASEAN relations, the FTA plan will
allow all members to enjoy more favorable trade and investment
conditions than the WTO can offer. Liberalized trade means more
opportunities to realize economies of scale and improve
efficiency.

Zhang explained that to show its intention to boost free trade
between the two sides, China has eliminated tariffs on selected
agricultural products from Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines
the first batch of ASEAN countries to join the four-year Early
Harvest program started in 2003.

The one-way goodwill deal from China, unprecedented in forging
an FTA among developing countries, had given ASEAN a head start
before China began cutting tariffs to the rest of the world under
its WTO commitment this year.

As the first step towards allowing China and ASEAN to enjoy
the early benefits of the trade agreement, the program has
encouraged fast growth in bilateral agricultural trade and laid
solid foundations for the umbrella FTA.

Instead of an over-ambitious deal to free up all trade, the
approach of tackling easy-to-implement plans first, as adopted
under the Early Harvest program, is more realistic and thus
efficient in demonstrating the benefits of free trade.

The Sino-ASEAN tariff cuts on more than 7,000 industrial
commodities, the core of the FTA, will be carried out using the
same principles.

Xu Ningning, director of the China-ASEAN Business Council,
told China Daily: "The liberalization is taking place step by
step."

"Tariffs are to be axed by 2010 for the six advanced ASEAN
members Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore
and Thailand. The four underdeveloped members Laos, Viet Nam,
Cambodia and Myanmar will have until 2015 to comply.

"For the richer ASEAN countries, products in the standard
track will be cut to 0 and 5 percent by 2010. Duties on products
identified as sensitive will not reach this level until 2018;
those on highly sensitive products will go no lower than 50
percent."

Lower tariffs will reduce companies' production costs and
sharpen their competitiveness.

Xu explained business deals are essential for China and ASEAN
members' aspirations to make their relations mutually beneficial.
Their shared commitment to economic progress is creating demand
for economic cooperation.

Trade between China and ASEAN continued to surge in 2004,
jumping 35.3 percent to a high of $106 billion, and hit $60
billion in the first half of this year.

Such dynamics have fueled belief in trade prospects between
China and ASEAN, respectively each other's sixth and fourth
largest trade partners.

China's robust economic growth and its entry into the WTO make
it a huge potential market for ASEAN products.

Li Guanghui, an expert in regional economic cooperation at the
Institute of Economics under the Ministry of Commerce, said, "As
the tariff cuts come into force, trade between China and ASEAN
countries are likely to increase."

Given the economic, social and cultural differences between
the two sides, difficulties in transforming the plan from ideas
to reality must not be overlooked.

Trade liberalization means much more than tariff cuts and the
removal of non-tariff barriers.

Chai Yu, an expert in economics at the Chinese Academy of
Social Sciences said: "A full FTA, an essential stage in regional
economic integration, covers trade in goods and services as well
as investment.

"The two sides might encounter real obstacles when it comes to
negotiations covering services and investment."

To meet the challenges of embarking on the road to a full
China-ASEAN FTA, concrete and continuous steps must be taken to
increase the rate at which existing trade liberalization
commitments are implemented.

Looming tariff cuts on industrial goods are a much-needed shot
in the arm for the drive to achieve shared regional goals.

Regional integration is expected to enhance mutual trust and
help member states play a greater role in world affairs.

The strategic cooperation geared towards peace and prosperity
in China and ASEAN nations is in the interests of both sides and
is expected to sharpen the competitive edge of the whole region.