Nation leads the way to a strong ASEAN community

“It is necessary for all ASEAN member countries to work toward practical and creative solutions to speed-up the realisation of the ASEAN community in 2015. This is the strategic target and top priority of ASEAN over the next five years,” said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

Dung said in his speech at last week’s 42nd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting (AEM-42) in Danang that the ASEAN had entered a new epoch towards the establishment of an ASEAN community in 2015.

“Thus, in order to enhance links for ASEAN’s centrality, Vietnam is committed to continuing joining hands with other ASEAN member countries to pursue balanced and sustained development policies, especially to harmonise economic growth targets with social development in response to global challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, epidemics and economic instability.”

Dung underscored that specific measures should be taken to narrow the development gap among ASEAN member states.

 “It is vital for the bloc to mobilise the participation of communities, especially the business circle and people, in the construction of the ASEAN community,” he said.

The ASEAN community shall be established comprising three pillars, including political and security cooperation, economic cooperation and socio-cultural cooperation, all of which are closely intertwined and mutually reinforcing for the purpose of ensuring durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region.

“We are all fully aware that much remains to be done in order to realise the goal of the ASEAN community, a community that is politically harmonious, economically integrated and socially responsible,” Dung said.

In a joint communiqué released after the meeting, the ministers re-affirmed their commitment to eliminate all forms of non-tariff barriers in order to maximise the benefits of tariff reduction under the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), one of the region’s landmark economic agreements taking effect from May 17, 2010.

The ATIGA, which is comprehensive in its scope and brings transparency to regional trade liberalisation, consolidates all commitments related to trade in goods.

“The ministers also endorsed the updated ASEAN trade facilitation work programme and the recommendation for each ASEAN member country to conduct a survey of the status of trade facilitation as the first step to take stock of the current environment in ASEAN in 2010-2011,” said Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang, who chaired the AEM-42.

“The importance of bringing small- and medium-sized enterprises into the ASEAN was underscored,” Hoang said.