(01/04/2013)
Myanmar’s leadership as ASEAN
chair in 2014 will be critical to the success of the ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC) by 2015. This key message emerged from the
U.S.-supported workshop last week, which brought together around 70
participants from the Government and the private sector to discuss the
Chairmanship of the ASEAN Economic Ministers next year. The discussion
explored the benefits of the AEC and reviewed the progress of the
implementation of the AEC by both ASEAN and Myanmar.
“The ASEAN Economic Community presents
the best opportunity for the ASEAN Member States to compete intensively
for markets outside the region while presenting a more favorable
environment to encourage domestic and foreign investment at home,” said
U.S. Ambassador to Myanmar Derek J. Mitchell at the opening of the
event. “The AEC will enable ASEAN firms to gain economies of scale that
would be impossible in a single country in the region.”
U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN David L. Carden
added that, “I have every confidence Myanmar will be a leading
contributor to ASEAN integration, including economic integration. We
are pleased to see the Government and private sector are focused on the
road ahead and that other ASEAN Member States are showing strong
support."
As the Government prepares to assume the
ASEAN chair for the first time, ASEAN Member States will collectively
be monitoring the necessary obligations to implement the Blueprint for
the ASEAN Economic Community.
“This is the right time for us to have
this very important discussion on how to involve Myanmar in the AEC and
the global community”, said Dr. Khin San Yee, Deputy Minister, Ministry
for National Planning and Economic Development. “Our discussions over
the next two days give us a great opportunity to take stock, identify
priorities and plan ahead for our role as chair to lead ASEAN in
achieving its 2015 target.”
The workshop presented the AEC scorecard
that captures not only the AEC implementation by ASEAN as a region to
date, but also a more detailed scorecard on the performance of Myanmar.
The scorecard highlighted areas where Myanmar will need to accelerate
AEC preparation and areas where technical assistance from Dialogue
Partners could be provided.
“There is much to be done if ASEAN is to
achieve the 2015 AEC target,” said Ms. Anna Robeniol of the ASEAN
Secretariat. “Under the AEC we are moving towards the creation of a
collective wealth that will benefit all of us. But there is no free
lunch. There is a need for each and every Member State to be
responsible and committed.”
In addition to the AEC scorecard, the
workshop featured an exchange of views between the government and the
private sector on the status of preparations for the AEC. Private sector
participants were made up of representatives from the Union of Myanmar
Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, which represents over
18,000 businesses and associations.
U.S.-supported study suggest that the
successful implementation of the AEC will result in an increase in ASEAN
real incomes by 5.3%, as well as growth in exports of up to 43% in many
manufacturing sectors. Myanmar stands to be one of the greatest
beneficiaries of the AEC, with an estimated 4.4% increase in national
income and a 66% increase in exports.
The workshop was organised by the U.S. Government-funded ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility.
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