| Rokiah Mahmud |
IN LESS than a decade, Asean’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has nearly doubled to US$2.6 trillion in 2014, outpacing most of the world’s economies.
In the automotive sector alone, Asean is reported to be one of the largest markets in the world, and will continue to gain in importance as a production base for the world’s biggest car manufacturers, especially from Asia, the US and EU.
This was underscored by Pengiran Haji Mohd Zain bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Razak, Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications (MinComm), after the guest of honour officiated yesterday’s opening ceremony for the two-day 23rd Asean Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) Automotive Product Working Group (APWG) meeting held at The Centrepoint Hotel in Gadong.
In his opening address, the acting permanent secretary added that with the combined third largest population in the world (just after India and China), Asean is anticipated to continue to grow rapidly as a consumer market for vehicles.
“The establishment of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last year was a major milestone in positioning Asean as a market with less barriers, a free flow of goods and services, investment, skilled labour and flow of capital, and hence, offering wider trade, investment and job opportunities.
Guest of honour, Pengiran Haji Mohd Zain, delivers his speech. – PHOTOS: BAHYIAH BAKIR
Delegates during yesterday’s meeting held at The Centrepoint Hotel in Gadong
Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Pengiran Haji Mohd Zain bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Razak, with delegates of the 23rd Asean Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality Automotive Product Working Group
“Its impact to the automotive sector is substantial, in which it will help to spur increased competition, innovations and economic dynamism in the region’s automotive market. However, as in any other sector, non-tariff barriers have remained a challenge,” he said.
He continued to highlight that this is where the APWG’s works and initiatives are relevant and important, in removing barriers and improving Asean competitiveness, as well as facilitating trade with the rest of the world.
The APWG is one of the working groups under the ACCSQ, a sectoral body under the purview of the Asean Economic Minister (AEM).
APWG was formed in 2005 with key measures to eliminate technical barriers to trade in the automotive sector through the exchange of information on standards, rules, regulations procedures and mandatory requirements in Asean member states, as well as to identify areas for possible harmonisation and Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA).
AEM identified the automotive sector as one of the 12 Priority Integration Sectors (PIS) under the region’s economic agenda. One of the major deliverables targeted this year is the completion of the Asean MRA on Type Approval for Automotive Products.
Asean has agreed to prioritise 19 UN regulations for the initial phase of implementation of the MRA. With the implementation of the MRA, automotive firms will find it easier and less costly to export their products to Asean.
The MRA is one of Asean’s High Priority Measures under the AEC post-2015 agenda for completion in 2016. The MRA’s timely and successful implementation will contribute to the realisation of the AEC.
The 23rd APWG Meeting is preceded by the 16th Meeting of the Task Force for MRA on Type Approval of Automotive Products.
The meetings are attended by officials from member states, representing authorities or agencies from the land transport, industry, standard and certification, as well as officials from the Asean Secretariat and representatives from the automotive industries who are members of the Asean Automotive Federation (AAF).
The US Department of Commerce also attended yesterday’s meeting, sharing information on Green Chemistry in auto parts and products.
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