ASEAN authorities discuss trade laws to prepare for AEC

CHIANG MAI, February 1 (TNA) - Thai authorities on Wednesday discussed trade laws with their counterparts from other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to prepare for the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. The discussion on trade-related laws, held in Thailand’s northern resort Chiang Mai Province, is aimed at promoting fair trade in the region, as five ASEAN member countries have not yet completed drafting their relevant laws. The discussion was opened by Santi Sarathawalpaet, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Commerce's Department of Internal Trade, and was attended by representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as trade law experts from Australia and New Zealand, ASEAN's two free trade partners with their over-three-decade-long free trade experiences. The participants exchanged information and views on international trade laws, policies on trade competition and law enforcement instruments, as Thai authorities plan to revise trade competition laws to improve law enforcement and the country's trade competitiveness. Meanwhile, the five ASEAN member nations which are drafting their trade competition laws include the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar and their laws are expected to guarantee fair trade with other member countries. (TNA)