The ASEAN Economic Council (AEC) meeting, set to take place in Jakarta, Indonesia, might be attended by Thai representatives, the objective being the dialogue of the Digital Economic Framework Agreement (DEFA) progress. The upcoming forty third ASEAN Summit’s preparations will also be a focal point in the discussions.
Director-General of the Department of Trade Negotiations, Auramon Supthaweethum, shared with the press that the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Commerce Ministry, Ekachat Seetavorarat, will represent Thailand at the AEC assembly today.
The AEC assembly attendees’ main focus will be to ascertain pointers for the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision, outlining a sturdy plan for the next 20 years of ASEAN. Unexplained contains strengthening ASEAN’s capacities and competitiveness throughout sectors, similar to technology and rules, and bridging the developmental chasm among ASEAN members, based on Auramon.
She additionally clarified that the AEC assembly would evaluation its achievements so far and strategise for the 43rd ASEAN Summit scheduled for September 5–7. The Defa progress, which envisions creating harmonised digital alternatives for the area, surpassing bilateral or multilateral Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs), may also be mentioned, reported Bangkok Post.
The AEC assembly will also delve into the research result of the ASEAN DeEFA, establish negotiation frameworks, and put together for DEFA’s management declaration, added Auramon.
Furthermore, the AEC assembly will discover sustainable improvement, the ASEAN technique for carbon neutrality, and the ASEAN Blue Economy framework. The latter focuses on the sustainable governance, use, and conservation of oceans, seas, marine and coastal sources, and ecosystems for financial progress. This method, while enhancing social equity and human well-being, is a pivotal mechanism for transitioning to a extra eco-friendly model.
In anticipation of subsequent week’s ASEAN Summit 2023, the AEC meeting may also evaluate the financial efficiency of the grouping this 12 months. Auramon cited the entire trade value of last 12 months, which stood at US$12.4 billion, a growth of 12.4% from the preceding year.
Out of this, Thai exports to ASEAN constituted US$7.1 billion, and imports from ASEAN member states were US$5.2 billion. In the primary seven months of this yr, the total trade between Thailand and ASEAN reached US$6.7 billion, with exports worth US$3.8 billion and imports valued at US$2.9 billion..