Outcome of the 9th Round of Korea-ASEAN FTA Negotiations
The two parties engaged in negotiations on the rules of origin and the initial drafts of product concession schedules drawn up by each participating country. Discussions were also launched on the liberalization of services and investment, which is set to be concluded by the end of this year.
In regards to trade liberalization, the two sides consulted on the early drafts of the tariff concession schedules of each county, which were exchanged directly before the meeting. Korea requested that the ASEAN side expand liberalization on products of interest, such as automobiles and steel. ASEAN pointed out that our concession schedule did not provide adequate assurance for the liberalization of the agriculture and marine products. Based on the results of this meeting, the two parties agreed to amend their draft schedules and exchange them before the end of February.
In regards to service/investment, the two sides exchanged their basic views on the issue of service/trade liberalization in the Korea-ASEAN FTA negotiations. The two parties established a common understanding that the level of liberalization in both fields must be higher than the WTO standard for liberalization.
The parties also agreed that it was necessary to accelerate negotiations in order to formally sign the agreement on products on the occasion of the ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting in April, as previously planned. Therefore, it was agreed that the 10th round of talks, which was originally planned for late March, would be advanced to March 7 - 10 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Korean delegation for this meeting was headed by Deputy Minister for Trade Kim Joong-keun and consisted of around 30 relevant officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Finance and Economy, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Korea Customs Service and KIEP. Director General of the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Singapore David Chin headed the ASEAN delegation, which was composed of around 60 members, including the representatives of the ASEAN member states and the related officials of the ASEAN Secretariat.
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2008년 7월 4일 16:02
