PETALING JAYA, July 18 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak believes that the journey towards Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, is well on course and irreversible.
In his message to participants of the 10th Asean Leadership Forum, the prime minister said the achievement of the AEC and the commencement of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) creating the world’s largest free trade agreement (FTA), were exciting prospects for Asean.
“Asean has come a long way with three more years to the realisation of the Asean Economic Community in 2015, when Malaysia will be the chair of Asean.
“I believe the journey towards AEC is well on course and is irreversible,” he said.
The one-day forum entitled, ‘Asean at a Crossroads - Towards a Common Future, Shared Prosperity and Regional Stability’, was opened by former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi here today.
Najib said increased regionalisation had substantially increased intra-Asean trade, as well as Asean’s trade with its key partners, namely China, Japan and India. – Bernama
