Malay Mail - 23 April 2019

Malaysia signs Asean trade in services agreement

Malaysia has signed the Asean Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA) and the Fourth Protocol to Amend the Asean Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA).

“Both Agreements would strengthen and enhance trade in services and investment respectively among member states of Asean,” Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Darell Leiking, who signed the agreement, said in a statement released here today.

He said this would further stimulate greater opportunities for economic and business development, by creating a larger market and predictability of the business environment in the region, in line with the Asean Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint 2025.

Darell led the Malaysian delegation to the 25th Asean Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Retreat and Related Meetings from April 22-23, 2019 in Phuket, Thailand.

Among others, the Economic Ministers exchanged views and deliberated on the 13 economic priority deliverables under Thailand’s Chairmanship of Asean for 2019, operationalisation of the AEC 2025 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework, and progress updates on Asean external relations including work towards the conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Asean engagement in World Trade Organisation reforms.