A Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy
Hoang attended the 9th meeting of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
Council in Banda Seri Begawan, Brunei on April 10.
At the meeting chaired by Brunei’s Second Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Trade Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng, delegates from ASEAN members
discussed the AEC Scorecard, which evaluates the implementation of the
AEC Blueprint, particularly in view of the target to establish the AEC
by 2015.
They reviewed the progress made in further
facilitating and encouraging the flow of services and professionals
across borders, developments in the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP) negotiations since its launch in November, 2012, and
the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.
Recommendations to accelerate connectivity and regional economic
integration made at the meeting will be presented to ASEAN leaders at
the 22nd ASEAN Summit in Brunei from April 24 to 25.
The AEC Council is one of the three community councils established
under Article 9 of the ASEAN Charter to oversee the work plan to create
an ASEAN Community by 2015.
The effective
realisation of the AEC requires cooperation across various policy
areas, including trade, investment, finance, agriculture and forestry,
energy, transport, tourism, telecommunications and IT.
ASEAN or the Association of South East Asian Nations consists of
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA