She said 99 percent import tariffs in the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been nil percent so that there was no longer any trade barrier.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu said the single ASEAN market had actually been formed as of 2002 and is now embarking towards the next stage of ASEAN economic community formation.

"In market terms the single market has actually been implemented as of 2002," she said at the office of the coordinating minister for economic affairs here on Monday.

She said 99 percent import tariffs in the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been nil percent so that there was no longer any trade barrier.

"So the ASEAN single market has been operating. You may ask at the business sector and they would say that they have now seen the ASEAN market as a domestic market because the tariff is already nil percent," she said.

She said right now ASEAN countries are moving towards the next stage of establishing an ASEAN Economic Community such as with regard to standardization and investment.

On Indonesia`s ASEAN chairmanship, Mari said what Indonesia would do was creating a more balanced ASEAN and reducing disparities among ASEAN members.

As for Indonesia it needs to reduce inter-regional imbalances and inter-business groups, she said.

"This means we must have programs that would extend the benefits of the ASEAN presence to more community members such as financing for small and medium businesses," she said.

She said imbalances could not be seen from products from each member country or its sector but must also be seen from its economic development.

"You can see Laos and Myanmar which are perhaps the most `underdeveloped` in comparison to Singapore. A disparity can easily be seen there but this happens because the pace of development also differs in those countries," she said.

"The aim of the economic integration is about how to reduce the gap. This is the benefit of the economic integration. This is what should be sought after," she said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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