Philippines Calls For Integrated ASEAN Customs Union
May 9 – The 18th Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on Customs (CCC) opened this week at the Clark Freeport Zone in the northern Philippine province of Pampanga. During the key note presentation, Philippine Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon highlighted the important role played by the various customs agencies in Southeast Asia in establishing a […]
Indonesia Ponders TPP Membership
The Indonesian government has shown interest in joining the United States-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), saying that its entry into the TPP negotiations would depend on trade agreements with key partners in the region.
Timor Leste Looks to Join ASEAN
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said last Friday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will allow Timor Leste to partake in future ASEAN meetings and summits. ASEAN member states have increasingly taken an interest in approving Timor Leste to be ASEAN’s 11th member.
ASEAN to Launch Business Traveler Card By 2015
The leaders of ASEAN have agreed to launch an ASEAN business traveler card by 2015, allowing frequent business travelers from ASEAN countries to stay for months at a time in other ASEAN countries without the need to obtain a visa.
Hong Kong to Sign Free Trade Agreement with ASEAN
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), who recently met in Brunei, are set to approve a decision by their economic ministers to expand trade ties with Hong Kong through the signing of a free trade agreement.
May 2013 ASEAN Regional Meetings
A number of important meetings are being held this month that will address trade and regulatory issues affecting global and regional foreign investment with ASEAN. The key ones of note for our readers are as follows.
ASEAN and Chinese Foreign Ministers to Meet Over South China Sea Claims
Apr. 30 – In the aftermath of the ASEAN summit in Brunei, it appears that conscious steps have been taken to make progress towards lowering tensions in the South China Sea, with China proposing a meeting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers to discuss a code of conduct governing the area. ASEAN has long wanted to confront […]
ASEAN Summit in Brunei: AEC and the South China Sea
The leaders of the ASEAN countries converged on Brunei Darussalam this week for the 22nd summit of the regional grouping. On top of the agenda was further facilitation of the economic integration process that aims to unite the countries in the ASEAN Economic Community by 2015.
EU Removes Sanctions Against Myanmar
On Monday this week, the foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) permanently ended the majority of its sanctions against Myanmar, with support for removing them permanently growing in step with recent democratic, economic and human rights reforms in the country.
China-ASEAN Expo to be Held in Nanning this September
Focus on China-Malaysian Bilateral Trade Apr. 18 – The 10th China-ASEAN Expo 2013 (CAEXPO) will be held in Nanning, Guangxi Province in China, from September 23 to 26, 2013. The CAEXPO, co-organized annually since 2004 by China and ASEAN, has been credited as an effective platform to promote cooperation between China and ASEAN member countries […]