| Japan skorea begin free trade moves { November 30 2004 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active) http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1362828,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1362828,00.html
Japan and South Korea begin Asean free trade moves
Staff and agencies Tuesday November 30, 2004
Japan and South Korea today launched initiatives aimed at forming a free trade alliance with Asean, a day after China completed a similar deal.
The Japanese prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, and the South Korean president, Roh Moo-hyun, separately adopted accords with the 10-nation Association of south-east Asian nations to begin talks early next year. Both agreements were intended to secure trade pacts within two years.
Officials said tariff-cutting talks on the Japan-Asean trade zone would begin in April, and would be completed within two years.
"We were very, very stimulated by China's initiative," a Japanese official told reporters at the meeting of Asean leaders in Laos. "We want to make it speedy - not because of China, but because this sort of negotiation needs impetus."
Asean's free trade deal with China is due to be introduced from 2010, and its agreement with Japan by 2012.
Seoul, which yesterday edged closer to a mini free trade pact with Singapore, said it would open talks on reducing trade levies with its southern neighbours in early 2005.
The Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, another guest at the annual Asean summit - which groups Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar - also made plans to develop the country's own regional trade zone by 2016.
"India is a country which has been growing at six to seven percent for the last several years, and this is a fact which is of interest to Asean countries," the Indian foreign ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.
Amid a flurry of free trade negotiations sparked by the China-Asean deal, which was initiated two years ago, the prime ministers of Australia and New Zealand also made their first appearances at the summit.
However, John Howard, the Australian prime minister, was criticised by some Asian leaders for his refusal to sign a non-aggression pact with Asean, a stance that has led to calls for his exclusion from the forum in the future.
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