ASEAN and Japan have agreed to support each other in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on easing its impact, enhancing economic flexibility, promoting export and solving problems faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to the Thai Ministry of Commerce.
Bangkok (VNA) – ASEANand Japan have agreed to support each other in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic by focusing on easing itsimpact, enhancing economic flexibility, promoting export and solving problemsfaced by small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to the Thai Ministry ofCommerce.
Local media quoted Director-General of Departmentof Trade Negotiations Auramon Supthaweethum as saying that ASEAN economic ministers and representatives from Japanissued a notice on cooperation on April 22.
Theyaimed to keep their markets open and adjust to regional and global demands byproviding exports to stabilise market conditions while not obstructingtransport of core commodities such as food, consumer products, medicines andmedical equipment, she said.
To aid the recovery of micro, small andmedium businesses, the two sides will lever digital technologyadvantages to boost the region’s status as a trade and investment hub, she added.
Japan became ASEAN’s fourth largest trade partner following the ASEAN-JapanComprehensive Economic Partnership agreement in 2008. In 2019, trade betweenthe two sides was worth over 214 billion USD./.
Deputy defence chiefs of ASEAN countries and Japan met in Tokyo, Japan from October 8-10 to discuss regional security, the future of the Indo-Pacific region and ASEAN’s initiatives for regional cooperation.
ASEAN and Japan agreed to enhance transport cooperation towards environmental sustainability at the 17th ASEAN-Japan Transport Ministers Meeting, which was held in Hanoi on November 15.
The 14th meeting of the ASEAN-Japan Joint Cooperation Committee (AJJCC) took place in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 11 under the co-chair of Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of the Vietnamese Permanent Mission to ASEAN, and Japanese Ambassador to ASEAN Chiba Akira.
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.
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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.