|
More agreements reached at ASEAN economic meetings
ASEAN economic ministers met with representatives from the bloc's important trade and investment partners yesterday to reach agreements that aim to boost economic co-operation.
In talks with Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming, the ministers agreed to enhance the ASEAN-China Trade in Goods Agreement and to improve its implementation, and endorsed the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) Agreement's Product Specific Rules.
Las year, bilateral trade reached US$178.2 billion and foreign direct investment flows from China into ASEAN reached $1.5 billion, according to ASEAN statistics.
The ministers welcomed China's proposal to organise a seminar on cross-border trade settlement, slated for November in China, and urged the Pan-Beibu Gulf Economic Co-operation Study to be concluded as soon as possible.
In the meeting with Japanese Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry Masayuki Naoshima, the ministers tasked officials to ensure the smooth implementation and maximum utilisation of the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (AJCEP).
The ministers said they were pleased to note that foreign investment flows from Japan to ASEAN had not been affected by the global crisis, with growth reaching $4.7 billion in 2008 to $5.3 billion in 2009, although total bilateral trade was down from $214.4 billion in 2008 to $160.9 billion last year.
Yesterday, ASEAN economic ministers also held consultations with representatives from South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the Mekong region and the East Asia Business Council.
Today, ministers will continue to talk with representatives from India, the European Union and the US, and attend the ASEAN-Mekong Basin Development Co-operation Ministerial Meeting.
vietnamnews
|
