Nay Pyi Taw, 28 August 2020

On behalf of Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Permanent Secretary U Aung Naing Oo attended the 19th AEM-MOFCOM Consultations and AEM-USTR Consultations on 27th August 2020 as well as the 4th AEM-Hong Kong Consultations, the 26th AEM-METI Consultations, the 9th AEM-Russia Consultations and the 23rd AEM-Plus Three Consultations on 28th August 2020 via video conference from Office No (1).

At the 19th AEM-MOFCOM Consultations held on 27 August, the Ministers discussed the progress of the implementation of ASEAN – China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) as well as the ASEAN-China economic and trade cooperation.

Permanent Secretary shared his views for the next steps for further liberalization of ACFTA and the challenges faced by ASEAN including Myanmar regarding sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures of agriculture products to get access to Chinese Market.

At the AEM-USTR Consultations held in the afternoon the same day, the Ministers discussed the progress of the implementation of 2019-2020 ASEAN-U.S Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement (TIFA) and E3 Work Plan, and adopted 2020-2021 TIFA and E3 Work Plan.

Permanent Secretary requested USTR for the technical assistance to Myanmar especially for the capacity building on Intellectual Property (IP) which is important to promote investment in the region.

During the 4th AEM-Hong Kong (China) Consultations held on 28 August, the Ministers noted the progress of implementation of the AHKFTA and the AHKIA, the first batch of the ECOTECH Work Programme and preparations for the establishment of the ECOTECH Support Unit.

Permanent Secretary invited Hong Kong investors to invest in the production of PPE and other key medical products in Myanmar. In addition, he stated that the two projects proposed by Myanmar, which will be implemented under the ECOTECH in 2020, will enhance the economic cooperation between ASEAN and Hong Kong (China).

At the 26th AEM-METI Consultations, the ratification of the entry into force of the First Protocol to Amend the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP) Agreement was discussed and the Ministers welcomed the launch of “Dialogue for Innovative and Sustainable Growth (DISG)”.

At the 9th ASEAN-Russia Consultations held in the afternoon, the Ministers noted the progress of implementation of Post 2017 ASEAN-Russia Trade and Investment Work Programme. The ministers also endorsed the extension of the timeframe of the current Programme of Cooperation (2019-2020) until 2025.

The 23rd ASEAN Plus Three Consultations discussed about the joint study on “10+3 Cooperation for Improvement of Supply Chain Connectivity”. In addition, the Ministers endorsed the ASEAN Plus Three Plan of Action on Mitigating the Economic impact of COVID-19 Pandemic at the meeting.