The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is approaching itsgoal of establishing a stronger and more active framework, named theASEAN Community, by 2015. The formation of community will bring the bloceven closer together and improve the lives of people across the region,Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has stressed in an interviewgranted to the press and the Vietnam News Agency.
The Foreign Minister confirmed ASEAN leaders have chosen December 31,2015 as the day to officially launch the ASEAN Community.
The Community is to be based on three key pillars: aPolitical-Security Community (APSC), an Economic Community ( AEC ) and aSocio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
APSC will act forthe common benefit of all members, shaping values to ensure a peaceful,secure and stable environment in the region while responding to othernon-traditional security challenges, FM Minh said.
However, he stated that ASEAN does not plan on forming any military alliance or common defensive bloc.
As an economic community, ASEAN will strive to build a single marketand transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods,services, investment, skilled labour and a freer flow of capital,supporting all members so that they will develop evenly, he said.
At the same time, ASEAN will not follow the model of a trans-nationalorganisation like the European Community (EC), and will not adopt acommon currency, he revealed.
ASCC seeks to facilitateconnectivity and balanced development among member countries while stillpreserving the cultural diversity of the bloc. It aims to build acaring and sharing society where the living standards, well-being, andwelfare of people are enhanced.
Discussing the benefits that theASEAN Community will bring, FM Minh stressed that a 600 million-strongmarket will be opened up for businesses of member countries in generaland Vietnamese businesses in particular, with equal opportunities forall.
He said the Community will offer chancesfor businesses to expand trade cooperation and attract investment thanksto the advantages of an open market.
Tariff andnon-tariff barriers will be removed, helping businesses promote theirexport and reduce their import cost, thus reducing product prices, hesaid.
The diplomat said after December 2015, most of imported products inside ASEAN will enjoy zero percent of tax.
Through free trade agreements plus one (FTA+1) between ASEAN and itspartners, Vietnam’s products will enjoy the same preferential tax ratewhen exported to China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australiaand New Zealand.
The favourable investmentenvironment will also drive FDI flow from partner countries to ASEANmembers, including Vietnam , he added.
However,he warned that Vietnamese businesses will also face great challengesonce the ASEAN Community is realised, especially from competitionprovided by imported products as well as services and investment fromASEAN countries, which may lead to the shrinkage or even disappearanceof some sectors or products.
He remained positivethough, citing a recent study which said the full implementation of theASEAN Economic Community and FTA ASEAN+1 agreements by 2018 will helpregional countries increase their revenue by 4.5 percent compared withthe 2007 figure, while average wages will rise by 7.6 percent forlabourers and 9.6 percent for skilled workers.
TheASEAN Community will also bring other benefits in other fields, Minhsaid. He noted that the ASEAN Politic-Security Community will giveregional people a bigger chance to live in a peaceful and friendlyenvironment, where they unite and support each other for the commondevelopment and prosperity of the region.
Strongercooperation in defence and more exchanges among ASEAN military officerswill increase mutual understanding and trust among the nations’ armedforces, contributing to reducing risks of conflicts.
Meanwhile, closer security cooperation, especially in trans-nationalcrime prevention and intelligence information sharing, will help peoplehave safer lives, said Minh.
Furthermore, ASEAN’sincreased cooperation in human rights through the establishment of theASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and theapproval of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) has affirmed themember countries’ strong commitment to promoting and protecting people’sessential rights.
Human resources developmentcooperation, aiming for the harmonisation of educational standards andmutual recognition of degrees and vocational certificates will createmore favourable conditions for labourers, especially skilled ones, toseek jobs in other countries in the region, which, Minh said, isextremely important to Vietnam as the country sends a large number oflabourers abroad each year.
ASEAN is also buildingmany legally binding documents to promote and protect interests ofmigrant workers, women and children.
In addition,stronger cooperation in such fields as health care and environmentalprotection will provide better security against epidemics and naturaldisasters.
In short, FM Minh affirmed the establishment of theASEAN Community is for the interests of each person in the community,for a better and more sustainable life of all people in SoutheastAsia./.
The Foreign Minister confirmed ASEAN leaders have chosen December 31,2015 as the day to officially launch the ASEAN Community.
The Community is to be based on three key pillars: aPolitical-Security Community (APSC), an Economic Community ( AEC ) and aSocio-Cultural Community (ASCC).
APSC will act forthe common benefit of all members, shaping values to ensure a peaceful,secure and stable environment in the region while responding to othernon-traditional security challenges, FM Minh said.
However, he stated that ASEAN does not plan on forming any military alliance or common defensive bloc.
As an economic community, ASEAN will strive to build a single marketand transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods,services, investment, skilled labour and a freer flow of capital,supporting all members so that they will develop evenly, he said.
At the same time, ASEAN will not follow the model of a trans-nationalorganisation like the European Community (EC), and will not adopt acommon currency, he revealed.
ASCC seeks to facilitateconnectivity and balanced development among member countries while stillpreserving the cultural diversity of the bloc. It aims to build acaring and sharing society where the living standards, well-being, andwelfare of people are enhanced.
Discussing the benefits that theASEAN Community will bring, FM Minh stressed that a 600 million-strongmarket will be opened up for businesses of member countries in generaland Vietnamese businesses in particular, with equal opportunities forall.
He said the Community will offer chancesfor businesses to expand trade cooperation and attract investment thanksto the advantages of an open market.
Tariff andnon-tariff barriers will be removed, helping businesses promote theirexport and reduce their import cost, thus reducing product prices, hesaid.
The diplomat said after December 2015, most of imported products inside ASEAN will enjoy zero percent of tax.
Through free trade agreements plus one (FTA+1) between ASEAN and itspartners, Vietnam’s products will enjoy the same preferential tax ratewhen exported to China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australiaand New Zealand.
The favourable investmentenvironment will also drive FDI flow from partner countries to ASEANmembers, including Vietnam , he added.
However,he warned that Vietnamese businesses will also face great challengesonce the ASEAN Community is realised, especially from competitionprovided by imported products as well as services and investment fromASEAN countries, which may lead to the shrinkage or even disappearanceof some sectors or products.
He remained positivethough, citing a recent study which said the full implementation of theASEAN Economic Community and FTA ASEAN+1 agreements by 2018 will helpregional countries increase their revenue by 4.5 percent compared withthe 2007 figure, while average wages will rise by 7.6 percent forlabourers and 9.6 percent for skilled workers.
TheASEAN Community will also bring other benefits in other fields, Minhsaid. He noted that the ASEAN Politic-Security Community will giveregional people a bigger chance to live in a peaceful and friendlyenvironment, where they unite and support each other for the commondevelopment and prosperity of the region.
Strongercooperation in defence and more exchanges among ASEAN military officerswill increase mutual understanding and trust among the nations’ armedforces, contributing to reducing risks of conflicts.
Meanwhile, closer security cooperation, especially in trans-nationalcrime prevention and intelligence information sharing, will help peoplehave safer lives, said Minh.
Furthermore, ASEAN’sincreased cooperation in human rights through the establishment of theASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and theapproval of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) has affirmed themember countries’ strong commitment to promoting and protecting people’sessential rights.
Human resources developmentcooperation, aiming for the harmonisation of educational standards andmutual recognition of degrees and vocational certificates will createmore favourable conditions for labourers, especially skilled ones, toseek jobs in other countries in the region, which, Minh said, isextremely important to Vietnam as the country sends a large number oflabourers abroad each year.
ASEAN is also buildingmany legally binding documents to promote and protect interests ofmigrant workers, women and children.
In addition,stronger cooperation in such fields as health care and environmentalprotection will provide better security against epidemics and naturaldisasters.
In short, FM Minh affirmed the establishment of theASEAN Community is for the interests of each person in the community,for a better and more sustainable life of all people in SoutheastAsia./.
