ASEAN does not prioritise common currency: official
ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn on March 13 said a common currency and monetary union for the region are not a priority right now, as there are many other agendas that need attention.
ASEAN does not prioritise common currency (Photo: capital.com)
Jakarta (VNA) – ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn on March13 said a common currency and monetary union for the region are not a priorityright now, as there are many other agendas that need attention.
Speaking at a public lecture at Universitas PelitaHarapan, Tangerang, Banten, he highlighted that post-pandemic recoveryis the top priority in ASEAN today.
He said the idea of monetary union hasbeen discussed over the past 20 years. However, there's still a long way to gobecause there are other priorities now.
In addition to post-pandemic recovery, the other current priorities are ASEANconnectivity, the blue economy agenda, and increasing intra-ASEAN trade, he emphasised.
Indonesia, which is serving as the ASEAN chair this year, has proposed thedevelopment of regional payment connectivity for supporting cross-borderpayments in the region.
The central banks and financial authorities of five countries - Thailand,Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore — have signed a memorandum ofunderstanding on boosting regional cross-border payments. The QR code systemsof the five countries are expected to be linked to achieve this./.
As one of the three largest investors in Laos, with total capital of over 5.3 billion USD, Vietnam’s electricity projects not only contribute to its neighbour’s socio-economic development and livelihoods but also to realising the ASEAN power grid initiative.
Bank Indonesia (BI) is collaborating with the Bank of England (BOE) in holding the ASEAN Central Banks Workshop on Enhancing Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Integrating Cross-Border Payment Systems, and Exploring Central-Bank Digital Currencies from March 8-10 in Jakarta.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) of Indonesia is planning to hold the ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) in Bantul, Yogyakarta province this year.
Indonesia’s State-run electricity company PT PLN’s East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) readies 100 units of electric vehicle charging station (SPKLU) to support the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, NTT Province, reported Antara news agency.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
ASEAN does not prioritise common currency (Photo: capital.com) 
