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Peformance of ASEAN
Peformance of ASEAN
ASEAN, a bloc of 10 nations with an aggregate economic size of USD 2.3 trillion, is
preparing to go through profound changes. Already today, ASEAN is the 3rd pillar of
growth in Asia in addition to China and India, with average GDP growth over the past
15 years at around 6% p.a.
The regions prospects will be much enhanced by an ambitious integration effort
which seeks to achieve a single market and production base, including higher mobility
of labour and capital within the region, and promote closer linkages with other key
economies such as China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
Exciting projects to increase and improve connectivity in trans-port, communication
and IT networks are in the making. Financial flows within the region are set to
increase, and initiatives such as a pan-ASEAN stock exchange collaboration are
taking place already.
The ASEAN Economic Communitys envisaged launch at the end of 2015 will not
only is an integration milestone but a potential game changer for ASEAN. The blocs
diversity ranging from advanced economies like Singapore to developing countries
like Myanmar could be a source of synergies, bringing the capital and know-how of
the more mature economies together with the competitive costs and abundant labour
and resources of the less-developed member countries. To be sure, there will be
winners and losers in the process, but overall, we expect AEC to bring about a net
positive contribution to ASEANs economies and its people.
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), established in 1967, is a large
economic bloc in Asia. Comprising 10 countries Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam , the region boasts a population of over 600
million (chart 1), roughly half that of Chinas or Indias and around 9% of the worlds
total. ASEANs economic weight is also substantial, with a GDP of USD 2.3 trillion
in 2012 around 30% the size of Chinas, roughly the same size as that of the UK and
25% larger than Indias. Its GDP accounts for 3% of the worlds total1.
In comparison, China and India were much less affected by the Asian financial crisis,
and their domestic investment activity remained strong. In the case of China, a vast
pool of domestic savings and huge FDI inflows has funded investment. India, by
contrast, does not have sufficient domestic savings to fund its investment needs, but it
managed to increase FDI inflows almost eightfold from 2003-2011.
Having adjusted its external balances and become an excess savings region,
ASEAN now needs to increase domestic investment in order to lift its potential rate of
growth. Among other things, ASEAN countries would benefit from savings being
channeled to intra-regional investment. To be sure, this is already happening: intraASEAN FDI rose from 14% of total FDI during 2002-09 to 18.5% in 2009-11 (chart
4), overtaking the EUs share of 17%. With the EU still beset by the Eurozone debt
crisis, the role of intra-ASEAN FDI flows is even more significant. The share of other
traditional sources of FDI to ASEAN such as Japan (12%) and the US (10%) also saw
a decline during 2009-2011.
Index (LPI) places Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand at the top of ASEAN (chart 6).
It is thus not by co-incidence that these countries have been the most active
contributors to intra-regional trade3. Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos have seen
their trade-to-GDP ratios rise strongly in recent years to around 100% of GDP,
indicating an increasing openness, but the contribution to intra-regional trade remains
small. Indonesia, Philippines and Myanmar still have a relatively low trade-to-GDP
ratio of below 100%, suggesting plenty of headroom to increase openness.
Intra-ASEAN trade has seen an uptrend in trade of final consumer goods, which is an
encouraging sign of the growing importance of domestic consumption within
ASEAN. According to the IMF, the increasing role of intraregional trade in final
consumption goods, together with a large domestic market, especially in Indonesia,
appears to provide the region with a potential source of resilience against global
demand shocks
Competition policy
Consumer protection
Intellectual property rights
Infrastructure development
Taxation
E-commerce
3) Equitable economic development. ASEAN member states will strive to level the
playing field as much as possible. In this regard, two areas will be under focus:
SME development
Initiative for ASEAN integration (IAI). Its objectives are to narrow the
development gap between members and to accelerate economic integration of the
newer members, namely Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV)
4) Integration into the global economy. ASEAN strives to integrate itself better as a
bloc into the global supply chain. For this purpose, two main lines of action are
pursued:
Coherent approach regarding external economic relations
Enhanced participation in global supply networks
AEC organisation and main agreements
ASEAN progress thus far has been driven by consensus based on the agreements by
the Heads of State and subsequent action plans. No special organisation has been set
up to support the establishment of the AEC. The ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM)
group is accountable for the overall implementation of the Blueprint. Relevant
ASEAN sectoral bodies are responsible for the implementation of programmes and
measures. At the national level, government agencies are responsible for overseeing
implementation and preparing more detailed action plans. Partnerships with the
private sector, industry associations and the community in general are urged to ensure
participation of all stakeholders. The Secretary-General of ASEAN6 is responsible for
reporting the progress of AEC to ASEAN ministerial meetings and the ASEAN
Summit.
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To date there have been numerous agreements in the run-up to the AEC. Among the
key agreements are:
a) Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (chart 11): The plan strives to make
production and distribution networks in ASEAN deeper, wider, and more entrenched
in the East Asian and global economy. It provides a 3-pronged strategy:
Physical connectivity through enhanced physical infrastructure development;
Institutional connectivity through effective institutions, mechanisms and processes;
People-to-people connectivity by providing education, promoting tourism, etc.
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Investment liberalisation (goods sector). Commitments in the goods sector under the
ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) are already liberal in most
ASEAN member countries, according to the bench-mark of 70% permissible foreign
ownership.
Free Trade Agreements - Five ASEAN+1 FTAs were signed, with China, Japan,
Korea, India and Australia/New Zealand. Negotiations are ongoing for services and
investment agreements with Japan and India.
Air transport. A number of air transport agreements have been signed under the
ASEAN-X formula. The ASEAN-X formula gives the flexibility for ASEAN member
states to sign agreements with one another without having to include members which
are not yet ready. The success of the air transport agreements gives rise to hopes that
the ASEAN-X formula could be replicated to forge forward other parts of the regional
agenda.
Monetary cooperation.
The signing and implementation of the Chiangmai initiative is a notable development.
Signatory countries agree to pool their foreign-exchange resources to provide liquidity
to member countries in times of emergency through bilateral swap arrangements. The
Chiangmai Initiative is but one example of institutional mechanisms and
arrangements at the ASEAN+3 level that increase the regions ability to respond to
crisis.
The establishment of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office also enhances
the regions surveillance and co-ordination efforts.
Free flow of skilled labour. Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) for skilled
professionals will cover 7 professions: doctor of medicine, dentist, nurse, engineer,
architect, accountant and surveyor. The aim is for professional qualifications in these
fields to be recognised in other ASEAN member states, facilitating flows of skilled
labour within ASEAN. According to the Mid-Term Review findings, MRAs on
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engineers and architects are underway to full implementation, with regional and
national systems in place. A few ASEAN countries already made recommendations
for regional accreditation.
Capital markets. The ASEAN Exchange, a collaboration of the seven stock
exchanges of ASEAN9, kicked off in September 2012 with the live roll-out of the
ASEAN Trading Link, connecting Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange. The
Stock Exchange of Thailand joined in October 2012. The system currently uses an
electronic order routing system that allows brokers from the three exchanges to
connect their clients to trading on the exchanges of the other countries. The potential
for ASEAN capital market collaboration is huge. In 2010, aggregate gross domestic
savings of ASEAN nations amounted to USD 616 billion, with the largest
contributions coming from Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. To facilitate the
mobility of savings across national borders, the AEC has put in place standardised
offering and distribution rules and disclosure requirements, as well as an enhanced
withholding tax structure to attract cross-border investors in debt paper, with a view to
lowering transaction costs and exploiting economies of scale.
ASEAN has established a monitoring mechanism called the AEC Scorecard to ensure
timely implementation of the AEC initiatives. The AEC Scorecard reports progress
with implementing the various AEC measures. According to the latest AEC Scorecard
published in March 2012, the overall score is 68.2 (out of 100) (chart 13). Among the
four pillars, Pillar IV, Integration into Global Economy, has made the most progress,
scoring 85.7. Pillar I, Single Market and Production Base, has the lowest score of
66.5. The score appears to suggest that challenges with regard to non-trade barriers
remain considerable and have yet to be tackled to create a smooth-functioning single
market and production base.
AEC final lap: Remaining tasks
It is now less than three years before the expected AEC launch at end-2015. A lot of
work remains to be done to achieve a credible and meaningful start. Progress in the
following areas would be especially helpful:
Non-trade barriers (NTBs) and non-tariff measures (NTMs). Non-tariff barriers
and non-tariff measures such as safety and health regulations or technical barriers
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remain obstacles to the free flow of trade in both goods and services. One
recommendation put forward in the mid-term review is to address the non-trade
barriers and non-tariff measures systematically through the set-up of a comprehensive
database of NTMs in ASEAN. The database could then be the starting point for
member countries to negotiate and reduce NTBs and NTMs in an efficient and
systematic manner.
Trade and investment facilitation. Although several countries have started
implementing National Single Windows (NSW), customs and logistical integration
still has some way to go. A wide gap still exists in terms of the number of days needed
to carry out exports and imports, with the highest number registered in Laos (45 days)
and the lowest in Singapore (3 days), according to World Bank data on trading across
borders. For example, it would be beneficial if ASEAN countries agreed and accepted
standardised business processes and harmonised data for electronic exchange under an
ASEAN Single Window (see page 8). As for investment facilitation, further process
streamlining and more inter-agency co-operation within each country and among
member states have been recommended.
SME development. The corporate sector in many ASEAN economies is dominated
by large government-linked companies or multinational corporations (MNCs). The
potential of small and medium-sized enterprises is underutilised, often due to a lack of
investment and technical know-how. Helping SMEs in terms of trade and investment
facilitation and technological development would make the AECs impact on member
countries more far-reaching.
Public-private sector partnership. Thus far, the public impression of AEC is that it
is driven by the government sector, which needs to be corrected. While the AEC
concept was drawn up by the countries leaders and the government has a key role in
providing a conducive legal and business environment, AEC success depends
crucially on private-sector involvement and public support. In this regard, greater
efforts should be made to raise awareness of AEC among the business community to
bring it on board. There should be regular public-private consultation forums for
brainstorming and strategy sessions.
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CHAPTER 2 - CHALLENGES
2008 marked the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN). While starting as a loose coalition of developing countries,
ASEAN is now recognized as an increasingly capable regional and international
player. ASEAN countries, however, face a number of internal and external
challenges, including social instability and regional economic and military
imbalances.
The ASEAN Charter, which became legally binding at the end of 2008, seeked to
build a more effective mechanism for cooperation and coordination among Southeast
Asian countries to address the pressures of globalization and the build-up of larger,
non-ASEAN neighbors.
Carnegie Beijing sponsored and co-hosted a policy debate with the Institute of AsiaPacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Center for
Regional Security Studies (CRSS) to address the current internal and external
challenges ASEAN countries face and the Charters implications for alleviating some
of these problems and improving regional relations.
Participants included Han Feng, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific
Affairs and the Center for Regional Security Studies; Cheng Ji from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs; Yuan Bo from the Research Center of International Trade and
Commercial Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce; Zhang Xuegang from the
China Modern International Relations Research Institute; Shen Shishun from the
China Institute of International Studies; Liu Lin from the Academy of Military
Sciences; Li Huimin of the China Friendship Association; and Xiong Wei from the
Institute of Foreign Affairs.
Internal ChallengesOne of the most serious obstacles to ASEAN integration is
unresolved territorial disputes between member countries. Forum participants
doubted that these disputes will be addressed comprehensively given the historical
reluctance of ASEAN countries to discuss matters they describe as internal affairs.
ASEANs consensus approach to decision-making, whereby a country can prevent
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the passage of a proposal if it disagrees with it, is highly inefficient when trying to
reform the organization. This difficulty is compounded by the political instability and
social upheaval within many of the member countries that rode the third wave of
democratization.
External ChallengesParticipants identified three external challenges facing ASEAN:
globalization, regional imbalances, and a lack of engagement mechanisms. Many
speakers contended that ASEANs development necessarily carries with it the
drawbacks of globalization. For instance, rapid regional development has led to fierce
competition between ASEAN countries. Others urged ASEAN countries already
involved in international banking and foreign investment to strengthen their financial
capabilities to avoid meeting the same fate as East Asian countries that were
embroiled in the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. ASEAN countries are also
worried that Western values have eroded support for their own values.
The second point of insecurity for ASEAN is its neighbors. The rise of large
neighboring countries coupled with increased investment in their militaries and
economies has made ASEAN countries extremely nervous.
In recent years,
American, Japanese, Chinese, and Australian interest in Southeast Asias affairs has
also risen, making them worry that they may be marginalized.
The third challenge is ASEANs ability to cooperate and coordinate regionally and
internationally. While many participants described ASEAN as a passive global player
one that is often an observer rather than an actor in its interactions with the world
they also acknowledge that its engagement capabilities are limited. ASEAN-initiated
forums and summits are ineffective mechanisms for decision-making because they
usually do not include global powers.
Southeast Asia is among the important pillars in Asias economic integration whereby
ASEAN is expected to gain solid economic integration from trade and investment.
This would mean that ASEAN must have significant and positive relations in her intra
regional trade and intra regional investments. Yet a previous study finds them to be
significant nevertheless having negative relations (Verico, 2012). Given its long-run
economic integration objective, ASEAN must turn this relation into one that is
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These two figures show that within its member states, ASEAN has a large economic
sized country Indonesia- that has a low economic level and also has a high
economic level country Singapore yet is a low economic size. Hence ASEANs
economic power seems to resemble a donut, lacking a country that has the
characteristics of having both a large economic size and high economic level. This is
in contrast to the EUs experience with Germany, a high income country that also has
a large economic size of GDP, population and geographic proportions. This donutshape is a major challenge for ASEAN in obtaining a solid intra-regional trade and
investment.
2.2 What does ASEAN need to do to overcome this economic integration
disadvantage?
From the market-driven strategy, ASEAN will gain her economic integration
advantage when her largest economic-size member attains high-income level. This
would mean when Indonesia becomes a developed country. Among the references for
this projection is Vision 2030, where Indonesia is predicted to become a developed
country in year 2030 with an income per capita per year above US$ 18,000.
Given this circumstance, furthermore, using the EUs experience, if the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) of 2015 is similar to the European Economic
Community (EEC) of 1967 then ASEAN is forecasted to complete her comprehensive
economic integration in year 2050. The latter is under the assumption that ASEAN
will follow EUs time-frame which took around 35 years to move from EEC of 1967
to Euro as a single currency in 2002.
As from the government intervention strategy, ASEAN could utilize her wide
regionalism strategy to increase its intra regional investment. Different from the
Custom Union (CU) in Europe, ASEAN adopts an open and soft regionalism
principle. In its open regionalism principle, ASEAN implements the Free Trade Area
(FTA) at which the regional economic institution does not regulate external tariff
between member state and non-member state enabling each member state to have
direct bilateral trade agreements with non-member states. This gives benefits to nonmember states as they can still have a free trade relation with the member states of
ASEAN without being a member themselves.
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ASEAN: Another EU? A central debate during the conference focused on whether a
meaningful comparison could be made between ASEAN and the European Union
(EU), especially now that ASEAN has assumed legal status.
The aims of both bodies are quite similar: economic prosperity and the preservation of
competitiveness in a globalizing world, regional security, and stronger influence vis-vis powerful neighbors. ASEAN seeks to mirror the EUs economic integration.
Furthermore, its three decision-making and implementing bodies mimic the EUs setup.
However, the respective forms of integration within the EU and ASEAN are
fundamentally different. The EU is a supranational model of cooperation. Member
countries share in decision-making that transcends national boundaries. ASEAN, on
the other hand, is strongly committed to an intergovernmental approach in which
integration allows states to cooperate in specific fields while retaining their
sovereignty. This unwillingness to cede power for joint cooperative efforts hinders
economic initiatives. This lack of unity can be seen in member states that, frustrated
by slow progress on trade negotiations, broke rank to sign bilateral trade agreements.
It reveals a gap in intra-ASEAN expectations: some members want collective
negotiation and others want faster progress. It is unclear whether the Charter will
allow for nimbler negotiations or resolve these issues at all.
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Article 2 of the ASEAN Charter sets the PURPOSES of the organisation as follows:
1. To maintain and enhance peace, security and stability and further strengthen peaceoriented values in the region;
2. To enhance reional resilience by promoting greater political, security, economic and
socio-cultural cooperation;
3. To preserve Southeast Asia as a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone and free of all other
weapons of mass destruction;
4. To ensure that the peoples and Member States of ASEAN live in peace with the
world at large in a just, democratic and harmonious environment;
5. To create a single market and production base a which is stable, prosperous, highly
competitive and economically integrated with effective facilitation for trade and
investment in which there is free flow of goods, services and investment; facilitate
movement of business persons, professionals, talents and labour; and free flow of
capital;
6. To alleviate poverty and narrow the development gap within ASEAN through
mutual assistance and cooperation;
7. To strengthen democracy, enhance good governance and the rule of law, and to
promote and protect human rights and fundamental free-doms, with due regard to the
rights and responsibilities of the Member States of ASEAN;
8. To respond effectively, in accordance with the principle of comprehensive security,
to all forms of threats, transnational crimes and trans-boundary challenges;
9. To promote sustainable development so as to ensure the protection of the regions
environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, the preservation of its cultural
heritage and the high quality of life of its peoples;
10. To develop human resources through closer cooperation in education and life-long
learning, and in science and technology, for the empowerment of the peoples of
ASEAN and for the strengthening of the ASEAN Community;
11. To enhance the well-being and livelihood of the peoples of ASEAN by providing
them with equitable access to opportunity for human development, social welfare and
justice;
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12. To strengthen cooperation in building a safe, secure and drug-free environment for
the peoples of ASEAN;
13. To promote a people-oriented ASEAN in which all sectors of society are
encouraged to participate in, and benefit from, the process of ASEAN integration and
community building;
14. To promote and ASEAN identity through the fostering of greater awareness of the
diverse culture and heritage of the region;
15. To maintain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving
force in its relations and cooperation with its external partners in a regional
architecture that is open, transparent and inclusive.
B. Structure
As the legal and institutional framework, the ASEAN Charter also describes the
structure of time organisation, setting forth the mandate and function of various
ASEANs organs. The charter provisions on the organs provide a general guide on
how to engage ASEAN. Those organs, and their mandate and functions are:
1. ASEAN Summit
ASEAN summit is the supreme policy-making body of ASEAN. This organ
deliberates, provides policy guidance and takes decisions on key issues pertaining to
the realisation of the objectives of ASEAN, important matters of interest to Member
States and all issues referred to it by the ASEAN Coordinating Council, the ASEAN
Community Councils and ASEAN Sectorial Ministerial Bodies.
In addition to the above description, The ASEAN Summit also :
(a.) Instruct the relevant Ministers in each of the Councils concerned to hold ad hoc
interministerial meetings and address important issues
Concerning ASEAN that cut across the Community Councils;
(b.) Authorise the establishment and the dissolution of Sectoral Ministerial
Bodies and other ASEAN institutions;
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Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Myanmar
Cambodia
Laos
Vietnam
East Timor (bid stage)
ASEAN plus 3 includes South Korea, China and Japan, who have pledged support
to certain rules concerning the reduction in cross-border legislation and cost
reduction, but who are not full members of the ASEAN community.
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There are both opportunities and threats in the emerging single market and
production base framework.
What are the potential benefits and dangers for any company?
In terms of benefits, the AEC effectively means an integrated total consumer base of
over 600 million potential customers. This is the most exiting facet of economic
integration. Reduction in the cost of moving people and goods across borders will
bring a real opening-up of the regional market particularly in terms of hospitality and
the MICE sector, where more people in Asia will be encouraged to discover a wider
variety of business and leisure destinations at a lower cost. This will result in huge
growth in the tourism, hospitality and international business sectors. The lower cost
bases will also encourage healthy competition, raising the bar universally on a variety
of industries in Asia. It has the potential to increase the appeal of this area for both
international business and leisure visitors. Overall, ASEAN Economic Integration is
seen as being a highly exciting prospect and many organisations welcome it warmly.
In terms of threats, the ASEAN Economic Community will bring increasing levels of
high quality overseas competition to market, so firms with an advanced market
position have to ensure that their operations support the maintenance of their position
as regional leaders in this regard. For this reason, industries in Thailand need to offer
a unilaterally high standard of service, a more sophisticated product offering and the
ability to fulfill the demands of international and regional business and leisure
customers, without losing the uniquely charming Thai approach to business, leisure
and tourism in Thailand.
inbound travel or inbounds business to Thailand because a core part of the appeal of
travel to various countries is to enjoy a local experience, which is in-keeping with a
national identity. In the case of Thailand, this means world famous hospitality,
culturally significant sites and attractions, low cost of doing business, a liberalised
economy, a pro-business government (regardless of political differences and shifts in
leadership) and a fundamentally sound economy which is capable of sustained
growth. ASEAN will remove barriers in terms of cultural integration, but its
important that Thailand is able to retain its intrinsic Thai-ness for both business and
leisure travellers to the country.
For Thailand, what are the countrys strengths and weaknesses in the 11-country
ASEAN grouping, generally?
Strengths
visitors
A visitor experience that is exotic, welcoming, relaxing and fun.
Great value with excellent return on investment
An already liberalised trade economy
A pro-business government
Continued investment in infrastructure projects
Unique blend of traditional and modern elements that have become
Weaknesses
policing tiers
Saturated retail and leisure markets
Increasingly sophisticated demands of customers
bomb threats in the capital, yet still the economy grows. This is potentially the result
of Thailands efforts towards becoming a more diversified economy, as it moves away
from being simply a tourism hot-spot and exporter of rice. Thailand currently enjoys a
strong global reputation in finance, manufacturing, produce & commodities,
technology,
healthcare,
education,
automobile
manufacturing
and
software
development an excellent GDP mix that has managed to overcome myriad issues in
the last two decades. This mix should mean that Thailand will not only prosper after
integration, but be able to drive regional growth as both a thought leader and model
for improving baseline revenue generation amidst its peers. However, several
countries within the region are also enjoying strong growth levels, and from a lower
base cost of production; ASEAN economic integration will provide a platform for the
accelerated growth of competitors, which may or may not prove to be detrimental to
Thailands own designs on a thrust towards sustained expansion.
Labour Market
One of the key benefits that integration has afforded to people within the EU is the
unprecedented level of mobility it gives to those of working age. The common market
has resulted in a highly reactive workforce, which has little hesitation in relocating to
find (or improve) their working life. It also raises issues in terms of uncapped
immigration, as France, Germany and the UK have discovered to be detrimental in a
number of ways. Inbound flow of skills and a readily-employed labour force is great
for a growing GDP contribution, but teething troubles in the systems checks and
balances results in hundreds of thousands of people moving between borders,
obviously having a considerable impact on citizens of a sovereign state. Once signed
up, it is impossible for a member country to limit the number of immigrants from
other member states, creating demands on housing, healthcare and policing resources.
It also opens up a potential easy channel for Brain Drain, where the most educated
members of society leave to pursue opportunities in regional competitor labour
markets.
Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
An industry, which is likely to see huge benefits (and challenges) after integration, the
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travel and tourism sector is on the front line of key changes through integration. It is
easy to assume that with travel restrictions being reduced that inbound traveller
numbers to Thailand will increase, but the sector needs to be aware that this increases
the mobility of traditional domestic staycation markets. One effect of EU
integration was a huge reduction in the cost of overseas holidays, which meant that it
was often cheaper for holidaymakers to go for cheap overseas packages rather than
taking holidays in other parts of their own country. This has an effect on the
economys revenue-generating abilities at large. In terms of inbound numbers, there
could be a profound effect on hospitality demand, but with Thailand already
oversupplied with hotels, condos and resorts, the effect is yet to be fully understood.
Most within the industry see ASEAN as a key game-changer for the next decade;
although a need for increasing levels of competitiveness are necessary for Thailand to
remain a regionally attractive destination over other exotic and new-to-market
destinations like Laos and the Philippines. Thailands reputation for untrustworthy
vendors, capitalising taxi and tuk tuk drivers, high visitor attraction costs for
foreigners compared to Thais and other security concerns leave the sector exposed to
new neighbours in many respects, and illustrative of a focused, industry-wide
approach being conducive to domestic competitiveness.
Logistics
An early adopter of infrastructure-driven strategy for the benefit of capitalising on
integrated cross-border activity, the logistics industry understands full well what
integration will mean for this sector; reduced transportation costs, simplified
documentation, improved integrated scanning and reading technology, cost sharing,
hub sharing and expedited delivery times are all exciting benefits of integration. Areas
including Laos and Myanmar remain a challenge, but the breaking down of
(perceived and administrative) borders should help cross-border trade hugely. There is
also the added benefit that extends beyond the logistic sector; that is, reduced costs
mean higher volumes for importers and exporters, and in theory, a much larger
volume of chargeable haulage for integrated logistics providers.
Education
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The Academy will provide knowledge to our mid-level executives, covering areas
including general business, the ASEAN retail market, good preparation in response to
market integration and dealing with the threat of growing competition from the AEC,
said Chairman Maytaprechakul, Senior Chief Marketing Officer.
The AEC is supposed to allow a wider flow of products, investments and skilled
workers within the region, so when tourists visit any ASEAN country, they will
expect to see similar products when they go shopping. The Mall has negotiated with
brand owners of fashion products in other ASEAN countries to carry these items.
Some fashion items available in Japan will have to be here as well. Thats why our
people have to understand the trends and know the regional market, he said. Staff
language skills are also important to the firm. Therefore, a number of Englishspeaking sales staff will be available at Siam Paragon, Emporium and other branches
of The Mall.
The company is excited about the AECs potential as there is huge purchasing power
across the region, and Thailand is one of the most popular tourist destinations.
Conclusion
When the AEC officially comes into effect on December 31, 2015, it will mark a
significant milestone of ASEAN member countries commitment to come and work
together as an economic bloc. While it would be unrealistic to expect a smoothly
functioning economic community right from the start, the AEC framework could lift
the sense of solidarity and ultimately business and consumer confidence. The AEC
will still be a work in progress and should be perceived in that light. It is also
important to recognise that a regional network will not cure domestic economic ills.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.marketingthai.or.th
http://www.asean.org
www.aseansec.org
www.adbi.org
www.nationmultimedia.com
www.marketingthai.or.th
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