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China target $25 billion in yearly trade - President Triet salutes nation's
fallen soldiers - Lawmaker urges province to boost farm production -
Trade deficit climbs to $4.7b - ASEAN, China boost co-operation -
Timor Leste leader lauds agricultural production - Viet Nam spares no
effort in friendship with China - New Zealand, Australia hold investor
seminar - Canadian diplomat praises development of relations - Steel
prices fall on surplus - Nation needs to boost online security -
Legislators visit China - Chilean envoy receives order - Cao Dai
church holds congress - Building begins on Binh Duong project -
Hi-tech park begins first phase - Farmers near park rise from poverty -
Work starts on service complex - Huge forest fires threaten national park
in Delta
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Updated April, 09 2010 10:25:17 Email Print ASEAN ‘to help global economy'
HA NOI — The world expects that East Asia will be able to contribute to the
growth and stability of the global economy and East Asia—ASEAN, in the middle—is
responding with efficiency and with responsibility.
ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan made the statement during an interview
with the Vietnam News Agency on ASEAN's development and the challenges facing
the bloc as it tries to build a common community by 2015 at the end of the first
working day of the 16th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi yesterday.
"The theme of the summit is ‘from vision to action'. Every member state welcomes
that. Every member state believes that it is time for ASEAN to deliver on our
commitments, on our agreements and on the projects and programmes in the master
plan," Pitsuwan said.
The ASEAN Economic Community Council acknowledged the quick recovery of the
ASEAN economy. This year all the ASEAN economies were believed to grow by about
4.5 per cent to 5 per cent. That was a very impressive figure compared to the
1.3 per cent to 1.4 per cent growth across the region last year, he said.
He pointed out that most developed countries were still suffering from negative
growth.
"The emerging economies are doing better, especially ASEAN and East Asia, which
are helping to drive global economic growth and pull the global economy out of
the economic crisis," he said.
ASEAN economic ministers were very aware of that and would like to make sure
that the bloc's growth would be sustained, he added.
"We have made good progress in attracting investment into ASEAN compared to 2000
when we had only US$23 billion. Thanks to economic integration and the one
investment area, the one market, in 2008 ASEAN attracted $60 billion.
"The ASEAN economic ministers would like to see greater investment in ASEAN.
Only and unless we can encourage our SMEs, our own ASEAN enterprises, to invest
in each other's economies, economic integration and the aim of having one
market, one economic community, will be very difficult to achieve."
However, to overcome these challenges, ASEAN would have to make sure that its
projects and programmes were fully implemented, he said.
"If we want to have an economic community by the year 2015, we will have to
implement all the goals that we are aiming for such as reducing tariffs, removal
of non-tariff barriers, opening up more investment in each other's economies,
increasing the level of trade among us and mobilising resources right within
ASEAN," he said.
"ASEAN bonds should be issued and bought in order to invest in ASEAN rather than
relying on outside sources. These are the areas that they have emphasised.
"We accommodate each other, we help each other and we know that there is a gap
between the new members and the old members and we are contributing to removing
that.
"It is called ‘Initiative for ASEAN Integration', and we are working with
dialogue partners, with financial institutions – the ADB for example, the World
Bank – in order to help newer partners. Dialogue partners – for example China,
Japan, Australia, the EU – are working very closely with the ASEAN Secretariat
in order to identify and contribute to making sure that human resources and
infrastructure in the newer member countries and all the mechanisms,
institutions necessary to integrate the newer markets into the older ASEAN
markets are in place and effective. We are getting a lot of support, a lot of
co-operation from our dialogue partners, including institutions such as the
World Bank."
Last year ASEAN was in the midst of a crisis. The region was not heavily
affected by the global downturn and this year it was experiencing growth,
Pitsuwan said.
"It calls for closer co-ordination among the ASEAN member states; it calls for
more effective integration, which we are pursuing and it is also the first year
of the implementation of FTAs with major neighbours India, China, Australia and
New Zealand.
"We are in a period of transformation and adjustment. Many sectors have to
adjust, have to be reformed in order to be competitive. I sense that all the
ASEAN member states are adjusting very well."
With commitment and with determination and with rationality, ASEAN countries are
helping those sectors that are struggling, that are not as competitive, but they
are not retracting, they are not relinquishing responsibility and commitments
they have made with countries such as China, India, Australia. "We are hoping
that the major dialogue partners and free trade partners, such as China,
Australia and India, will accommodate the countries of ASEAN to ensure that the
FTAs are mutually beneficial, we have to look at the trade balance."
Pitsuwan said he also hoped that there would be a major effort to ensure that
there would be tourism sector co-operation among these major dialogue partners,
in addition to FTA agreements. This was a special time for ASEAN and a special
time for East Asia in general.
"Viet Nam is doing a splendid job. Everybody, as I told you, is very, very happy
and satisfied with the preparations and with the way in which the summit is
being conducted.
"Thank you to the Government, the people of Viet Nam for being such splendid
hosts.
"The summit has gone very well. Everyone expressed appreciation to the Prime
Minister of Viet Nam for the leadership, for the hospitality, for the efficiency
with which Viet Nam, as the chair, has prepared for this summit." — VNS

Other News
Viet Nam resolves to fulfil its role as chair of ASEAN (Apr,10)
Leaders vow to build ASEAN community (Apr,10)
Statement on sustained recovery, development (Apr,10)
Statement on joint response to climate change (Apr,10)
Summit debates ASEAN's goals (Apr,09)
All Other News...
SEE ALSO
Viet Nam, China target $25 billion in yearly trade (Apr, 28)
Lawmaker urges province to boost farm production (Apr, 28)
ASEAN, China boost co-operation (Apr, 28)
Timor Leste leader lauds agricultural production (Apr, 28)
Viet Nam spares no effort in friendship with China (Apr, 28)
Canadian diplomat praises development of relations (Apr, 28)
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16th ASEAN Summit

Viet Nam resolves to fulfil its role as chair of ASEAN

Viet Nam would do its utmost to accomplish the role of ASEAN Chair in 2010,
President
Leaders vow to build ASEAN community
The Southeast Asian leaders yesterday showed their firm commitment to building
an ASEAN
Statement on sustained recovery, development
We, the Heads of State/Government of the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN),
Statement on joint response to climate change
We, the Heads of State/Government of Brunei Darussalam, the Kingdom of Cambodia,
the
Summit debates ASEAN's goals
Viet Nam pledged to do its utmost to collaborate with other regional members to
achieve 35 years on
Looking back at Liberation
The cheers of victory on April 30, 1975, still ring in the ears of many
Vietnamese
Nation celebrates Ham Rong victory
The Ham Rong victory, which helped ensure supplies of goods and arms across Ham
Rong
Da Nang nears industrialised status
Da Nang is determined to be among the leading cities to make an all-out effort
to become
Fireworks dazzle Da Nang crowds
The coldness of a sudden monsoon couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of tens of
thousands of

Liberation Day celebrated

A meeting was held yesterday to mark the 35th anniversary of the liberation of
the
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