Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
MINISTERIAL
DECLARATION ON THE AFTA-CER
CLOSER ECONOMIC
PARTNERSHIP
Ministers,
Representing the
following Member Countries of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the Members
of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER):
Lao PDR
(hereinafter referred to as “the AFTA-CER countries”);
Recalling the
Framework for the AFTA-CER Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) endorsed by
Ministers in Ha Noi,
Reaffirming that
the CEP must serve as a building block for greater economic integration, and
advance substantively beyond the AFTA-CER Linkage, which was established in September
1995 during informal consultations between ASEAN Economic Ministers and
Ministers from Australia and New Zealand;
Taking into
account the relevant recommendations from the study prepared by the High Level
Task Force on the AFTA-CER Free Trade Agreement: The Angkor Agenda presented to
Ministers in
Considering the
importance of trade and investment for the AFTA-CER countries and the existing
trade relationship between the regions;
Recognising that open, transparent and competitive
markets are the key drivers of economic efficiency, and contribute to wealth
creation and consumer welfare;
Underlining their
commitment to maintain outward-looking trade and investment policies to bolster
and sustain economic growth;
Mindful of and
adhering to their respective commitments to the spirit, rights and obligations
of existing membership of global, regional and bilateral agreements and fora;
Recognising that the CEP will take into account the
different levels of development of participating countries; and
Underlining
the potential for mutual benefits with closer cooperation among AFTA-CER
countries on international economic issues in multilateral and regional fora such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
Declare as
follows:
Goals
1. The goals of the
CEP are to:
(a)
Deepen and broaden cooperation in all economic fields;
(b)
Promote greater trade and investment flows regionally and globally;
(c)
Contribute to trade and investment facilitation through minimising impediments, reducing costs, and related
capacity building;
(d)
Improve business competitiveness;
(e)
Narrow the developmental gap and deliver tangible benefits to all
participating countries, especially for the newer ASEAN Member Countries; and
(f)
Promote transparency of regulations and cooperation among relevant
authorities.
Fields of Cooperation
2. In order to
advance the existing dialogue on trade and economic issues, the fields of
cooperation under the CEP will include, but not be limited to, promoting and
facilitating trade and investment, capacity building, new economy issues and other
areas of cooperation, as indicated in Annex 1. The development of further
cooperative activities under the CEP could be drawn, inter alia,
from the Angkor Agenda and the recommendations of the AFTA-CER Business
Council.
Work Programme
3. The work programme under the fields of cooperation will be developed
on the basis of consensus and implemented taking into account the different
levels of development of the participating countries, using a multi-track
approach where some areas of cooperation could be advanced sooner than others.
The CEP Initial Work Programme will include, but not
be limited to, technical barriers to trade and non-tariff barriers, customs
cooperation, capacity building, trade and investment promotion and
facilitation, standards and conformity assessment, electronic commerce, and
small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as indicated in
Annex 2.
Implementation
Mechanism
4. Recognising
the importance of working groups in advancing cooperation under the CEP, sectoral dialogues between CER and ASEAN working groups
will be established and/or enhanced across a range of areas. These working groups will propose
projects and priority areas under their respective purview. In this regard, an
AFTA-CER CEP Implementation and Coordination Group (ACCICG) will be established
to coordinate and direct the work programme under the
CEP, exchange views on regional and multilateral economic and trade issues, and
identify new areas of cooperation. ACCICG will make recommendations and report
to the SEOM-CER consultations.
Business Views
5. An AFTA-CER Business Council,
comprising high-level representatives from the respective business communities,
will provide ASEAN and CER Ministers with advice on the scope and
implementation of the AFTA-CER CEP and enhance business sector contributions to
AFTA-CER cooperation. The AFTA-CER Business Council will have the opportunity
to meet and report to the Ministers.
Review
6. Fields of cooperation under the
CEP and the CEP Initial Work Programme, as outlined
in Annexes 1 and 2, will be reviewed regularly to ensure progress across all
areas and to explore further areas of cooperation which advance the principles
and goals of the CEP framework. Progress will be reported regularly through
Senior Economic Officials to Ministers.
7. The AEM-CER consultation process
will periodically monitor and review the progress on the implementation of the
CEP and its further development.
Other Trade and
Economic Initiatives
8. Bilateral and regional trade and
economic initiatives can promote the goals of the AFTA-CER CEP. AFTA-CER
countries which are ready to develop and implement such arrangements should do
so.
SIGNED
at
For the Government
of
MARK VAILE
Minister of Trade
For the Government of
ABDUL RAHMAN TAIB
Minister of
Industry
and Primary Resources
For the Government
of
the
CHAM PRASIDH
Minister of
Commerce
For the Government of
the
DORODJATUN
KUNTJORO-JAKTI
Coordinating
Minister for Economy
For the Government
of
the Lao People’s Democratic Republic
SOULIVONG DARAVONG
Minister of Industry
and Handicraft
For the Government of
RAFIDAH AZIZ
Minister of
International Trade
and Industry
For the Government
of
the Union of
BRIGADIER GENERAL
DAVID O. ABEL
Minister at the
Office of the
Chairman of the
State Peace
and Development Council
For the Government of
JIM SUTTON
Minister for Trade
Negotiations
For the Government
of
the Republic of the
MAR ROXAS
Secretary of Trade
and Industry
For the Government of
the
B.G. (NS) GEORGE
YONG-BOON YEO
Minister for Trade
and Industry
For the Government
of
the
ADISAI BODHARAMIK
Minister of
Commerce
For the Government of
the
LUONG VAN TU
Vice Minister of
Trade
ANNEX 1
Fields of
cooperation under the Closer Economic Partnership
Building on the
existing dialogue on trade and economic issues, the fields of cooperation under
the CEP will include:
(a) Trade and
Investment Facilitation
The extensive work
of the past six years under the AFTA-CER Linkage will continue to seek to
reduce costs to business associated with technical barriers, customs
procedures, and regulatory and administrative requirements. This will be
underpinned by technical assistance initiatives aimed at assisting newer ASEAN
members to build the capacity necessary (including skills and infrastructure),
to promote the freer flow of goods, services and investment between the
regions.
(b)
Technical advice
and assistance will continue to be provided by Australia and New Zealand
guided, inter-alia, by: decisions taken under the
AFTA-CER framework and in support of the key goals of the CEP; the general
endorsement of ASEAN for facilitating the integration of its newer members; and
the identified needs of ASEAN countries in trade and investment related areas,
including sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS),
customs, standards and conformance, enforcement of intellectual property rights
(IPRs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
(c) Trade and Investment Promotion
One of the key
goals of the CEP is to promote trade in goods and services, and the
attractiveness of ASEAN and CER as investment destinations. Liberalisation
could form part of the work programme of the CEP with
initial emphasis placed on addressing non-tariff barriers with a view to
preventing these from inhibiting flows in merchandise and services trade. It would also maximise
the advantages of regional economic integration.
(d) New Economy
Issues
The CEP will
provide for collaboration and capacity building among participating countries
to reduce the digital divide in the region through the minimisation
of regulatory and other barriers with a view to exploiting the full potential
of information communication technology and e-commerce for economic growth.
Work in this area
should encourage the development of intellectual property regimes to protect IPRs and support innovation and economic growth.
Through the CEP,
there should be closer cooperation to address barriers such as anti-competitive
practices, particularly as the degree of regional economic integration deepens.
(e) Other Areas of Cooperation
The work programme under the CEP should be reviewed periodically
with a view to exploring further areas of cooperation which conform to the
principles and goals of the CEP framework.
ANNEX 2
The CEP Initial
Work Programme
Building on and
expanding the work under the AFTA-CER Linkage, the CEP Initial Work Programme should include the following:
(a) Technical
Barriers to Trade and Non-tariff Barriers: The CEP should address technical
barriers to trade and non-tariff barriers, including for example SPS issues,
tariff rate quotas (TRQs) and licensing, standards
and conformance. A work programme on technical
barriers to trade and non-tariff barriers should allow both sides to address market
access issues affected by these barriers in a manner consistent with WTO rights
and obligations.
(b) Customs
Cooperation. The CEP could encompass customs cooperation and dialogue, with a
focus on the development of mutually beneficial solutions to minimise risks and to maximise
opportunities for facilitating customs clearance for ASEAN and CER goods. This
could include promotion of exchange of information on technical and regulatory
requirements, and the streamlining of rules and regulatory procedures.
(c)
(d) Trade and
Investment Promotion and Facilitation: The CEP should establish mechanisms to
enhance information dissemination, address market
impediments and promote trade and investment opportunities. These mechanisms
could involve the trade and investment agencies of participating countries or
business associations from ASEAN and CER.
(e) Standards and
Conformity Assessment: There are regular consultations among officials of both
regions under the ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality
(ACCSQ)-CER forum. The possibility of inter-regional mutual recognition
agreements (MRAs) is being explored. ASEAN-CER standards collaboration could be
accelerated further as a component of the CEP, which could cover, transparency
of regulations, MRAs, harmonization of standards and
joint development of international standards of interest to both regions.
(f) Electronic Commerce: Work on this will
include investigating means by which forms of information and communications
technology (ICT) and e-commerce cooperation between ASEAN and CER could be
fruitfully pursued, including through links with e-ASEAN and other regional
initiatives; examining paperless trading solutions in the routine
administration of trade flows building on current regional goals (e.g. customs
formalities) and through capacity building to reduce the digital divide.
(g) Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs): The CEP should build
stronger ties among the private sectors of both regions, particularly among SMEs, which could benefit from increased networking and
links with one other. Joint programmes geared towards
encouraging accelerated adoption of e-commerce by SMEs
could also be included in the work programme.