What steps has ASEAN taken to liberalise trade among Member Countries?
ASEAN has embarked on various arrangements since its inception with the view to increase trade in the region. The Preferential Trading Agreement 1977 provided tariff preferences for trade between ASEAN countries. In 1992 in Singapore at the Fourth ASEAN Summit, the Members agreed to form an ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). The goal of AFTA is to increase efficiency, productivity and competitiveness in the region’s economies by eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers. In 1992, Member Countries contemplated that AFTA would be fully implemented in 15 years; however, the date for the realisation of AFTA was initially moved up to 2003, and then to 2000 for the six original Member Countries: Indonesia; Thailand; Malaysia; Philippines; Singapore; and Brunei Darussalam. Under this scheme, goods that are included in what is called the Inclusion List, will have low tariffs. The Inclusion List includes goods which each Member Country places in AFTA’s tariff reduction arrangement. 85% of the goods
