Four of 10 ASEAN leaders (from left) Philippine President Benigno
Aquino, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
(AP photo/Apichart Weerawong) Dr Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, said: "The leaders, ministers have called for a doubling of efforts by all mechanisms, all sectoral bodies of ASEAN to redouble their efforts, their cooperation in order to move forward. They took note of the fact that the major economic agreements, about 70 per cent of them, have been ratified. "Now they are going to concentrate on the implementation at the national levels, so that national laws, rules and regulations will be amended, reformed, in place, in order to implement the major agreements, for example the ASEAN Investment Agreement, ASEAN Goods Agreement, ASEAN Agreement in the Services sector, all these things are important to move ASEAN forward to make it one market." Addressing ASEAN leaders at the plenary session held after the opening of the 20th ASEAN Summit, Singapore's PM Lee stressed that the global business community is watching carefully to see if ASEAN can deliver.In this regard, he said ASEAN has made some progress recently - the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement which has come into effect creates a more predictable and stable investment environment.Mr Lee said with the agreement, all companies can have greater confidence that their investments in ASEAN will be protected and welcomed.However, he said there is a need to press on with other commitments.Among them, the eighth package of services commitments - which was supposed to have been completed by the end of 2010, but has been delayed.Mr Lee believes that when this package is completed, it will allow Singapore companies, such as those in accountancy and medical services, greater access to the wider ASEAN market. Mr Lee said ASEAN must deepen regional integration as other countries are signing bilateral and pluri-lateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) across East Asia and the Pacific. One example is the Trans-Pacific Partnership.He urged the grouping to push forward on the ASEAN Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to improve on the ASEAN Plus One FTAs and be a high-quality partnership to attract businesses.He hopes that negotiations can be launched for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with interested FTA partners, starting with trade in goods at the next ASEAN Summit.Another task is to step up efforts on the Masterplan on ASEAN connectivity, said Prime Minister Lee.He noted that ASEAN's dialogue partners have strongly supported the Masterplan last year and the grouping should follow up with concrete projects by working with the Asian Development Bank on connectivity projects, such as the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link and the ASEAN Highway Network.Karel De Gucht, European Trade Commissioner, said: "Second to the European Union, I would say ASEAN is the broadest effort to regionally integrate their countries' connectivity. Broadband and physical connectivity is important and we can certainly help in the state-of-the-art solutions."Mr Lee emphasised that these measures will benefit Singapore companies and Singaporeans.Closer ASEAN integration will boost Singapore's position as a regional business hub and create new opportunities in HQ services and supply chain management.ASEAN leaders have also emphasised that key to ensuring the success of the Connectivity Masterplan is to narrow the development gap amongst the lesser-developed member states. In this regard, PM Lee said the Republic is supportive of goals to achieve this; among them is the initiative for ASEAN integration. One area which Singapore will be helping will be in providing relevant training courses to the lesser-developed ASEAN countries. Dr Surin said: "They are also addressing the issue of inequality, they call it strategy of equitability. That is to make sure that the growth in ASEAN is balanced, inclusive, equitable, in a sense that all member states can equally benefit from every growth and development and the prosperity that is a consequence and our engagement with the external parties."Cambodian Premier Hun Sen said: "Within the region, although the development gap among the ASEAN members has been noticeably narrowed, it is still huge. This requires us to double our efforts to promote further growth and improve equitable distribution of the fruits of growth at both the national and regional among member countries. "Indeed, narrowing such development gaps is not only a pre-condition for ensuring ASEAN's competitiveness and reducing the poverty of our people, but also helping ASEAN achieve real regional integration and promoting its centrality in broader and world affairs." Mr Lee noted that ASEAN may be 45 years old but there are many more opportunities for the grouping to fulfil its potential.By the end of their summit, ASEAN leaders will issue the Phnom Penh Agenda, setting a clear direction for the grouping to build on its achievements and become a thriving community.- CNA/al/ms
ASEAN urged to move faster towards economic connectivity
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) want the 10-member grouping to move faster - in the effort to transform the region into an economically-connected community by 2015.They made the call at the start of the 20th ASEAN Summit in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, on Tuesday.Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stressed that the ASEAN Economic Community is vital in helping the region stay competitive.ASEAN Chair and Cambodian Premier Hun Sen said ASEAN has become a closely-integrated political and economic entity.In Asia, it is an influential player, while in the world, it is a strategic partner.And it is on track on the road to an ASEAN Community by 2015. Four of 10 ASEAN leaders (from left) Philippine President Benigno
Aquino, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
(AP photo/Apichart Weerawong) Dr Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, said: "The leaders, ministers have called for a doubling of efforts by all mechanisms, all sectoral bodies of ASEAN to redouble their efforts, their cooperation in order to move forward. They took note of the fact that the major economic agreements, about 70 per cent of them, have been ratified. "Now they are going to concentrate on the implementation at the national levels, so that national laws, rules and regulations will be amended, reformed, in place, in order to implement the major agreements, for example the ASEAN Investment Agreement, ASEAN Goods Agreement, ASEAN Agreement in the Services sector, all these things are important to move ASEAN forward to make it one market." Addressing ASEAN leaders at the plenary session held after the opening of the 20th ASEAN Summit, Singapore's PM Lee stressed that the global business community is watching carefully to see if ASEAN can deliver.In this regard, he said ASEAN has made some progress recently - the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement which has come into effect creates a more predictable and stable investment environment.Mr Lee said with the agreement, all companies can have greater confidence that their investments in ASEAN will be protected and welcomed.However, he said there is a need to press on with other commitments.Among them, the eighth package of services commitments - which was supposed to have been completed by the end of 2010, but has been delayed.Mr Lee believes that when this package is completed, it will allow Singapore companies, such as those in accountancy and medical services, greater access to the wider ASEAN market. Mr Lee said ASEAN must deepen regional integration as other countries are signing bilateral and pluri-lateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) across East Asia and the Pacific. One example is the Trans-Pacific Partnership.He urged the grouping to push forward on the ASEAN Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to improve on the ASEAN Plus One FTAs and be a high-quality partnership to attract businesses.He hopes that negotiations can be launched for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with interested FTA partners, starting with trade in goods at the next ASEAN Summit.Another task is to step up efforts on the Masterplan on ASEAN connectivity, said Prime Minister Lee.He noted that ASEAN's dialogue partners have strongly supported the Masterplan last year and the grouping should follow up with concrete projects by working with the Asian Development Bank on connectivity projects, such as the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link and the ASEAN Highway Network.Karel De Gucht, European Trade Commissioner, said: "Second to the European Union, I would say ASEAN is the broadest effort to regionally integrate their countries' connectivity. Broadband and physical connectivity is important and we can certainly help in the state-of-the-art solutions."Mr Lee emphasised that these measures will benefit Singapore companies and Singaporeans.Closer ASEAN integration will boost Singapore's position as a regional business hub and create new opportunities in HQ services and supply chain management.ASEAN leaders have also emphasised that key to ensuring the success of the Connectivity Masterplan is to narrow the development gap amongst the lesser-developed member states. In this regard, PM Lee said the Republic is supportive of goals to achieve this; among them is the initiative for ASEAN integration. One area which Singapore will be helping will be in providing relevant training courses to the lesser-developed ASEAN countries. Dr Surin said: "They are also addressing the issue of inequality, they call it strategy of equitability. That is to make sure that the growth in ASEAN is balanced, inclusive, equitable, in a sense that all member states can equally benefit from every growth and development and the prosperity that is a consequence and our engagement with the external parties."Cambodian Premier Hun Sen said: "Within the region, although the development gap among the ASEAN members has been noticeably narrowed, it is still huge. This requires us to double our efforts to promote further growth and improve equitable distribution of the fruits of growth at both the national and regional among member countries. "Indeed, narrowing such development gaps is not only a pre-condition for ensuring ASEAN's competitiveness and reducing the poverty of our people, but also helping ASEAN achieve real regional integration and promoting its centrality in broader and world affairs." Mr Lee noted that ASEAN may be 45 years old but there are many more opportunities for the grouping to fulfil its potential.By the end of their summit, ASEAN leaders will issue the Phnom Penh Agenda, setting a clear direction for the grouping to build on its achievements and become a thriving community.- CNA/al/ms
Four of 10 ASEAN leaders (from left) Philippine President Benigno
Aquino, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Prime
Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.
(AP photo/Apichart Weerawong) Dr Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN Secretary-General, said: "The leaders, ministers have called for a doubling of efforts by all mechanisms, all sectoral bodies of ASEAN to redouble their efforts, their cooperation in order to move forward. They took note of the fact that the major economic agreements, about 70 per cent of them, have been ratified. "Now they are going to concentrate on the implementation at the national levels, so that national laws, rules and regulations will be amended, reformed, in place, in order to implement the major agreements, for example the ASEAN Investment Agreement, ASEAN Goods Agreement, ASEAN Agreement in the Services sector, all these things are important to move ASEAN forward to make it one market." Addressing ASEAN leaders at the plenary session held after the opening of the 20th ASEAN Summit, Singapore's PM Lee stressed that the global business community is watching carefully to see if ASEAN can deliver.In this regard, he said ASEAN has made some progress recently - the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement which has come into effect creates a more predictable and stable investment environment.Mr Lee said with the agreement, all companies can have greater confidence that their investments in ASEAN will be protected and welcomed.However, he said there is a need to press on with other commitments.Among them, the eighth package of services commitments - which was supposed to have been completed by the end of 2010, but has been delayed.Mr Lee believes that when this package is completed, it will allow Singapore companies, such as those in accountancy and medical services, greater access to the wider ASEAN market. Mr Lee said ASEAN must deepen regional integration as other countries are signing bilateral and pluri-lateral Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) across East Asia and the Pacific. One example is the Trans-Pacific Partnership.He urged the grouping to push forward on the ASEAN Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership to improve on the ASEAN Plus One FTAs and be a high-quality partnership to attract businesses.He hopes that negotiations can be launched for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with interested FTA partners, starting with trade in goods at the next ASEAN Summit.Another task is to step up efforts on the Masterplan on ASEAN connectivity, said Prime Minister Lee.He noted that ASEAN's dialogue partners have strongly supported the Masterplan last year and the grouping should follow up with concrete projects by working with the Asian Development Bank on connectivity projects, such as the Singapore-Kunming Rail Link and the ASEAN Highway Network.Karel De Gucht, European Trade Commissioner, said: "Second to the European Union, I would say ASEAN is the broadest effort to regionally integrate their countries' connectivity. Broadband and physical connectivity is important and we can certainly help in the state-of-the-art solutions."Mr Lee emphasised that these measures will benefit Singapore companies and Singaporeans.Closer ASEAN integration will boost Singapore's position as a regional business hub and create new opportunities in HQ services and supply chain management.ASEAN leaders have also emphasised that key to ensuring the success of the Connectivity Masterplan is to narrow the development gap amongst the lesser-developed member states. In this regard, PM Lee said the Republic is supportive of goals to achieve this; among them is the initiative for ASEAN integration. One area which Singapore will be helping will be in providing relevant training courses to the lesser-developed ASEAN countries. Dr Surin said: "They are also addressing the issue of inequality, they call it strategy of equitability. That is to make sure that the growth in ASEAN is balanced, inclusive, equitable, in a sense that all member states can equally benefit from every growth and development and the prosperity that is a consequence and our engagement with the external parties."Cambodian Premier Hun Sen said: "Within the region, although the development gap among the ASEAN members has been noticeably narrowed, it is still huge. This requires us to double our efforts to promote further growth and improve equitable distribution of the fruits of growth at both the national and regional among member countries. "Indeed, narrowing such development gaps is not only a pre-condition for ensuring ASEAN's competitiveness and reducing the poverty of our people, but also helping ASEAN achieve real regional integration and promoting its centrality in broader and world affairs." Mr Lee noted that ASEAN may be 45 years old but there are many more opportunities for the grouping to fulfil its potential.By the end of their summit, ASEAN leaders will issue the Phnom Penh Agenda, setting a clear direction for the grouping to build on its achievements and become a thriving community.- CNA/al/ms
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