The ASEAN Free Trade Area is the way forward for ASEAN. The dawn of the 21st century will witness the gradual but dramatic move of ASEAN towards a more cohesive economic grouping determined to make its mark in a rapidly changing world. Barriers to trade will give way to the overriding need to enhance the region's competitive edge in the global market. Success in economic cooperation will no longer be a matter of choice but of necessity.

The AFTA logo depicts ASEAN's forward movement. The six stalks of rice representing the six Membe'r Countries in the ASEAN logo have merged into a single formation that leans for-ward. The solid color of this formation denotes that one bold step to create a free trade area which will eventually make ASEAN one of the most efficient production basses the world. The six bars depicted in forward motion overlaying the solid formation represent the six Member Countries that are determined to give impetus to economic cooperation - - each contributing its own changing comparative advantage to the emerging division of labor in ASEAN.