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ASEAN - UNITED STATES |
During the year under review, no official dialogue was held between ASEAN and the United States. However, ASEAN and US officials met on a number of occasions to discuss the ASEAN-US Initiative (AUI), the ASEAN-US Future Development Cooperation Programme and ASEAN-US Automated Data Exchange (ADE). The Economic Coordinating Committee in Washington comprising ASEAN officials based in the US capital and US officials also continued their frequent and useful meetings on trade and economic issues that are of interest to both parties.
Activities associated with the ASEAN-US Initiative (AUI) included the launching of a Joint Study by ASEAN and US researchers to look into the possibilities of reducing or removing trade barriers and providing favourable trading and investment arrangements between ASEAN and the US. The Study was supervised by an ASEAN - US Steering Committee comprising senior trade officials from the two sides. The Committee was responsible in providing the framework and general guidelines for the Study, but the findings, views and recommendations are exclusively those of the researchers.
The Final Report of the Study was completed and the ASEAN - US Steering Committee submitted the report to the ASEAN and US AUI Coordinators at their meeting in Washington on 12-13 April 1989. Subsequently, the Report was submitted to the Chairman of ASC and the Chairman of AEM for consideration by respective governments and committees.
To strengthen ASEAN - US development cooperation, ASEAN and US experts held a meeting in Bangkok in October 1988 to discuss future programme on development cooperation. The Meeting focussed on two areas of development cooperation: trade and investment and technology for ASEAN growth, which later were merged into one project - ASEAN Private Investment and Trade Opportunities (PITO). Through USAID/ASEAN, arrangements were made for US design teams to visit ASEAN capitals to develop the project paper. The Executive Summary of the project paper was completed and submitted to the Fifth Meeting of the 22nd ASEAN Standing Committee in May 1989 for consideration by respective governments. The proposed project puts a strong emphasis on the role of the private sector to accelerate regional growth through an improved ASEAN business climate. The project consist of three components, namely 1) Trade and Investment Promotion; 2) Policy Analysis and Problem Solution; and 3) Capital Market Development. USAID/ASEAN submitted to the ASEAN the Draft Project Grant Agreement in late June 1989 for consideration.
On 8 July 1988, ASEAN and the US signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Automated Data Exchange (ADE), which would facilitate the exchange of information in the field of trade and investment between ASEAN and the US. ASEAN attaches great importance to this automated data exchange system as it could be useful for market access negotiations at the Uruguay Round, identifying opportunities for export expansion in the US market, and tracking the utilization of the US GSP. Experts from the US had visited ASEAN countries in October 1988 and May 1989 and completed a technical review of ASEAN members' capabilities for completing the ASEAN - US Data Exchange Format.
For more information, please refer to the project details
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