The 10th Meeting of the Committee of the Whole for the ASEAN Economic Community takes place in Hanoi on January 11 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The 10th Meeting of the Committeeof the Whole for the ASEAN Economic Community (CoW 10) was held in Hanoi onJanuary 11 by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The event took place on the third working day ofa series of meetings within the framework of the ASEAN economic cooperation in2020.
Chaired by ASEAN Deputy Secretary-GeneralAladdin Rillo, it saw the presence of senior officials in the three pillars(politics – security, economy, and culture – society) of the ASEAN Community;chairpersons of the ASEAN Economic Community’s specialised groups; andrepresentatives of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.
According to the Multilateral Trade PolicyDepartment under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the CoW 10 focused oncoordinating ASEAN’s activities relevant to the pillar of economy.
The meeting discussed the bloc’s main economicpriorities for 2020 proposed by Vietnam, priorities in the two other pillarsand their relations with the proposed priorities in the pillar of economy.
Participants also looked into the enhancement ofthe intra-ASEAN connectivity; the fourth industrial revolution and thedigitalisation of economy in the ASEAN Economic Community; along with thepriorities in certain fields in 2020 such as trade, investment, services, tradefacilitation, consumer protection, intellectual property, the ASEAN singlewindow, and quality standards.
Besides, they deliberated the building of aplatform for coordinating activities of the ASEAN Economic Community andsettling related issues, which requires coordination among the committees andworking groups in charge of different fields so as to promote the grouping’seconomic integration in a more effective manner.
At the meeting, Vietnam, as ASEAN Chair in 2020,introduced and chaired talks on the initiatives for the pillar of economy thisyear. These initiatives focus on promoting the intra-ASEAN connectivity,enhancing the partnership for peace and sustainable development, and improvingASEAN’s adaptability and operational efficiency in the time ahead.
With 14 draft initiatives proposed right fromthe year’s beginning, Vietnam hopes to ensure that its 2020 ASEAN Chairmanshipwill push ahead with the formation of an economy community that plays thecentral role in regional and global cooperation frameworks.
Outcomes of the CoW 10 will be reported to theASEAN senior officials’ meeting on January 12./.
VNA
