KUALA LUMPUR: Trade facilitation will be the ultimate priority for ASEAN countries to work on in the next fi ve years in order to lure more investments to the region.
Asean’s clear vision is to come out with a competitive region and to do business together, said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry Secretary-General Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria.
“Looking at our rules, we are doing quite a lot but of course we are not happy and we want more,” she told Bernama on the sidelines of the Asean Senior Economic Offi cial Meeting (SEOM), which entered its second day yesterday.
The meetings are focused on the full implementation of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) by end-2015 and the Economic Vision 2025, she said, adding that Asean aimed to work closely with the private sectors within the next fi ve year. Overall compliance of AEC had already passed the 90 per cent mark.
“To reach 95 per cent by November is our target. We will move forward to the next fi ve years as priority and we hope the ministers would encourage us to push for more,” she added.
The 47th Asean Economic Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings from Aug 20-25, 2015 will put the fi nishing touches to the formal establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by year-end. — Bernama