U.S. Zoellick to consult with ASEAN ministers

U.S. Zoellick to consult with ASEAN ministers

Dow Jones, New York

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is scheduled to consult with economic ministers of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week in Manila, Philippine Trade Secretary Manuel Roxas said, the Kyodo news agency reported.

"This meeting shall be an acceptable forum for both the U.S. and the ASEAN members to make their respective proposals for the possible free trade agreement (FTA) and economic relationships that the U.S. hopes to foster with us," Roxas said in a statement.

The Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative, a U.S. trade initiative that will serve as a road map for the signing of FTAs between the United States and ASEAN members, will be discussed, he said, according to the Kyodo report.

Roxas said the U.S.-ASEAN meeting next Wednesday will also touch on the compulsory licensing of critical pharmaceutical products which he said could help ASEAN countries lower drug costs, Kyodo added.

ASEAN is composed of Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.