--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

China, ASEAN to Implement Tariff Reduction Program in 2005
China and ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will initiate a tariff reduction program in January 2005, a senior trade official said here Tuesday at a high-level symposium on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (FTA).

According to the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between China and ASEAN, the formal FTA negotiations will begin in early 2003 and be concluded by June 2004. The tariffreduction program will be implemented beginning in January 2005.

The first round of negotiations after the two sides signed the Framework Agreement last year will be held here two days later, said Guo Li, assistant minister of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation.

Guo said that in recent years, China and ASEAN have made rapid development in economic and trade cooperation, as evidenced by the continuously expanding and fruitful cooperation in trade and investment, contracted projects, and labor services.

In spite of the global economic downturn, trade between China and ASEAN jumped by 31.8 percent to a record high 54.8 billion US dollars in 2002.

Following the establishment of the China-ASEAN FTA, China's exports to ASEAN are expected to increase by 10.6 billion US dollars, while ASEAN's exports to China are predicted to grow by 13 billion US dollars, said Vice-Chairman Gao Hucheng of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which borders Vietnam.

Kanissorn Navanugraha, ASEAN chief negotiator, said the FTA will allow both sides to utilize complementarities in resources and create more cooperation opportunities.

"The early harvest program contained in the Framework Agreement shows that China and ASEAN have discovered innovative ways to promote cooperation," said Zhang Yunling, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2003)

China-ASEAN Economic Cooperation Upgraded
ASEAN Becomes Shanghai's 4th Largest Trading Partner
China-ASEAN Commodity Fair to Be Held in 2005
Leaders Discuss China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone
Comprehensive China-ASEAN Cooperation
China-ASEAN Free Trade Zone Gains Further Momentum
Free Trade Area on the Agenda
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688