The 19 th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat and related meetings will be held in Hanoi from March 6-9.
Hosting the important meetings is one of many activities undertaken by
Vietnam to realise its policy of actively engaging in international
economic integration and contributing to the establishment of the ASEAN
Economic Community by 2015, said the Deputy Minister of Industry and
Trade Nguyen Cam Tu at a press conference in Hanoi on February 27.
According to Tu , the ASEAN integration process is
inseperable from the world’s economic development. Therefore, the bloc
is promoting trade, investment and economic links with its dialogue
partners and at the same time maintaining its central position in the
evolving regional structures.
ASEAN is currently
engaged in Free Trade Areas (FTA) with China , the Republic of Korea
, Japan , India , Australia and New Zealand . In 2013, ASEAN and
its six FTA partners will begin negotiations on the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The negotiations are expected
to end by the end of 2015, and aim to create the largest free trade
area in the world.
Within the framework of the
Retreat, the 12 th consultation between ASEAN economic ministers and
the EU Trade Commissioner will take place on March 9. The two sides will
discuss how to promote economic cooperation, trade and investment
relations between the two regions.
ASEAN is
Vietnam ’s third largest export market. In 2012, export-import turnover
between Vietnam and ASEAN countries reached over 38 billion USD.-VNA