The ASEAN Roundtable 2016 organised by the ASEAN Studies Centre was held on 30 August 2016 at the Institute. The theme of this year’s Roundtable is “The ASEAN Economic Community: Towards 2025”. The Roundtable drew more than 80 participants to discuss various aspects of the ASEAN Economic Community and regional economic integration.
H.E. Le Luong Minh Secretary-General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) delivering his Keynote Address on the AEC 2025: Building A Community Through Economic Integration (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
His Excellency Mr Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) delivered the Keynote Address on “AEC 2025: Building a Community through Economic Integration”. In his address, HE Le Luong Minh noted that ASEAN is one of the most advanced regional organisations in the world. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), including its plus one Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), has played an important role in promoting regionalism and regional integration. However, the new phase of ASEAN cooperation as outlined in the AEC 2025 blueprint takes off amidst global uncertainties, including tensions in the geo-strategic landscape. ASEAN must endeavour to develop a common position among member states and maintain the region’s centrality in the evolving regional architecture.
Click here to read the full transcript of the keynote address.
Dr Tang Siew Mun, Head of ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute delivering the Opening Remarks at the ASEAN Roundtable 2016 (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Dr Beatrice Gorawantschy, Director of Regional Programme, Political Dialogue Asia and the Pacific, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung co-delivering the Opening Remarks at the ASEAN Roundtable 2016 (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Session 1 on Services Sector Liberalisation discussed the status and challenges in liberalising the logistics and aviation sectors in ASEAN. Speakers from this panel concluded that ASEAN is not yet a Single Aviation Market and the ASEAN logistics sector is not as yet integrated to encourage intra-ASEAN trade.
Session 2 which focused on Trade Facilitation Initiative in ASEAN discussed key ASEAN trade facilitation measures, such as ASEAN Single Window (ASW) and Standards and Conformance (S&C). It also looked at ASEAN’s connectivity drive and its three components – physical, institutional and people-to people linkages.
The third session on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN focused on AEC policies with respect to SMEs and the challenges faced by SMEs’ participation in ASEAN integration. Speakers from this session noted that while AEC 2015 puts SMEs in the context of Narrowing Development Gap, the AEC 2025 blueprint focuses on competitiveness. On top of that, SMEs in the less developed ASEAN countries, have limited involvement in regional value chain of production.
Finally, Session 4 on Developments in RCEP and Implication of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) provided an update on RCEP negotiations, as well as discussed implications of TPP on ASEAN integration. Panellists highlighted that the RCEP is an ambitious undertaking, going beyond the existing ASEAN+1 FTAs as well as provided a Japanese perspective on RCEP and TPP and the Japan’s interest in ASEAN integration.
Panellists from all 4 Sessions at the ASEAN Rountable 2016 (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Participants at the ASEAN Roundtable 2016 (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
The ASEAN Roundtable 2016 concluded on the promising note that ASEAN integration will carry on and will bring incremental benefits to the region.
The ASEAN Studies Centre Team with Secretary-General, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), H.E. Le Luong Minh (Source: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute)
Click here for the video of the Keynote Address by His Excellency Mr Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Click here to read the full transcript of the keynote address.