Hun Sen Calls for Economic Cooperation within ASEAN

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, September 02, 2003

Hun Sen Calls for Economic Cooperation within ASEAN

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Tuesday appealed to the ASEAN economic ministers in Phnom Penh to strengthen economic integration within the 10 ASEAN member countries.

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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen Tuesday appealed to the ASEAN economic ministers in Phnom Penh to strengthen economic integration within the 10 ASEAN member countries.

"I would like to draw your attention to some crucial aspects" of new measures to strengthen economic cooperation within ASEAN introduced at the Special Informal Meeting of the ASEAN Economic Ministers in July 2002 in Jakarta, he said.

The new measures, mentioned by Hun Sen, include extension of " Comprehensive" AISP (the ASEAN Integrated System of Preferences) to CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam), newer members of the ASEAN, and maximizing the use of regional branding in producing competitive ASEAN products, as well as aid of the developed ASEAN countries to the lesser developed members.

He suggested that the coverage of AISP be extended by the developed ASEAN members, at a zero rate across all sectors, to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam by 2004 and onwards.

He also urged ASEAN "to develop the brand of 'Made in ASEAN' products where parts could be produced in different ASEAN countries, then transportable duty- and tax-free into other ASEAN countries for final assembly."

Hun Sen expressed his confidence that the ASEAN as a whole will be able to produce finished products that are able to face increasingly stiff world competition.

Moreover, Hun Sen called on the developed ASEAN countries to assist Cambodia. "As a new ASEAN member, Cambodia needs bilateral and multilateral technical cooperation and assistance to upgrade agricultural products to facilitate and increase domestic production and exports," Hun Sen said.

Some 400 delegates are gathered in Phnom Penh this week for the 35th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting, which officially begins on Tuesday.

During the three-day meeting, ASEAN economic ministers will also hold consultations with their counterparts from China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India.

One of the key topics they will discuss is the development of an ASEAN-China Free Trade Area, which they plan to complete within 10 years.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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