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Reuters-ASEAN Meet Looks to Boost T

Subject: Reuters-ASEAN Meet Looks to Boost Trade, Technology

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      Tuesday November 23 8:39 AM ET=20
      ASEAN Meet Looks to Boost Trade, Technology
      By Raju Gopalakrishnan=20

      MANILA (Reuters) - Southeast Asia will focus on cutting edge =
information technology industries and the promotion of free trade to =
rekindle the region's former high growth rates, a senior official said =
on Tuesday.=20

      Rodolfo Severino, Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) =
secretary-general, told Reuters future competitiveness would be the =
theme for this weekend's Manila summit of the 10-nation grouping.=20

      To help the region achieve its goals, ASEAN leaders would hold =
talks with executives from the world's top information technology =
companies, he said.=20

      ``ASEAN recognizes that future competitiveness now lies in the =
development of skills and the building of the necessary institutions to =
make possible ASEAN's competitiveness in the industries of the future,'' =
Severino said.=20

      At an earlier news conference, Severino he expected discussion at =
the summit to center on the industries of the future.=20

      ``Essentially we are looking at the ways in which to bind ASEAN =
together electronically, upgrade the skills of ASEAN's peoples to link =
them to the 'wired world' and to make sure that they can compete in =
these areas,'' he said.=20

      ASEAN -- grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, =
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- holds its =
third informal summit on November 28.=20

      The group would also meet leaders from ASEAN dialogue partners =
Japan, China and South Korea to further economic cooperation which could =
eventually lead to the expansion of the proposed ASEAN Free Trade Area =
(AFTA) to include its northern neighbors, said Severino.=20

      ``Certainly ASEAN is not averse to having this kind of a =
relationship,'' he said, adding such proposals were still some way off =
from becoming reality.=20

      Japan To Help In New Initiative=20

      Tokyo media have said Japan is likely to announce at the summit =
the so-called ``Obuchi program,'' named after Japanese Prime Minister =
Keizo Obuchi, to boost human resource development in ASEAN through =
student exchanges, training and support for non-governmental =
organizations.=20

      The plan will help the region maintain the economic resurgence of =
the past year and regain the high growth rates wiped out by the 1997 =
Asian financial crisis, he added.=20

      The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday revised its 1999 growth =
forecast for Asia minus Japan to 5.7 percent from a previous estimate of =
5.5 percent. Growth for the region in 1998 was 2.3 percent against 6.1 =
percent in 1997 and 7.4 percent in 1996.=20

      ASEAN will also move toward its goals under AFTA of eliminating =
tariffs on goods traded in the region, Severino said.=20

      Trade ministers, who meet before the summit, will review progress =
on lowering tariffs on up to 90 percent of goods to between 0-5 percent =
by 2000 and set a time-table for complete elimination on a progressively =
wider range of products, he said.=20
    =20
    =20


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    <TD vAlign=3Dtop><B>Tuesday November 23 8:39 AM ET</B>=20
      <H2>ASEAN Meet Looks to Boost Trade, Technology</H2><!-- TextStart =
-->
      <P>By Raju Gopalakrishnan=20
      <P>MANILA (Reuters) - Southeast Asia will focus on cutting edge=20
      information technology industries and the promotion of free trade =
to=20
      rekindle the region's former high growth rates, a senior official =
said on=20
      Tuesday.=20
      <P>Rodolfo Severino, Association of South East Asian Nations =
(ASEAN)=20
      secretary-general, told Reuters future competitiveness would be =
the theme=20
      for this weekend's Manila summit of the 10-nation grouping.=20
      <P>To help the region achieve its goals, ASEAN leaders would hold =
talks=20
      with executives from the world's top information technology =
companies, he=20
      said.=20
      <P>``ASEAN recognizes that future competitiveness now lies in the=20
      development of skills and the building of the necessary =
institutions to=20
      make possible ASEAN's competitiveness in the industries of the =
future,''=20
      Severino said.=20
      <P>At an earlier news conference, Severino he expected discussion =
at the=20
      summit to center on the industries of the future.=20
      <P>``Essentially we are looking at the ways in which to bind ASEAN =

      together electronically, upgrade the skills of ASEAN's peoples to =
link=20
      them to the 'wired world' and to make sure that they can compete =
in these=20
      areas,'' he said.=20
      <P>ASEAN -- grouping Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, =
Myanmar,=20
      the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam -- holds its =
third=20
      informal summit on November 28.=20
      <P>The group would also meet leaders from ASEAN dialogue partners =
Japan,=20
      China and South Korea to further economic cooperation which could=20
      eventually lead to the expansion of the proposed ASEAN Free Trade =
Area=20
      (AFTA) to include its northern neighbors, said Severino.=20
      <P>``Certainly ASEAN is not averse to having this kind of a=20
      relationship,'' he said, adding such proposals were still some way =
off=20
      from becoming reality.=20
      <P><FONT size=3D+1><B>Japan To Help In New Initiative</B></FONT>=20
      <P>Tokyo media have said Japan is likely to announce at the summit =
the=20
      so-called ``Obuchi program,'' named after Japanese Prime Minister =
Keizo=20
      Obuchi, to boost human resource development in ASEAN through =
student=20
      exchanges, training and support for non-governmental =
organizations.=20
      <P>The plan will help the region maintain the economic resurgence =
of the=20
      past year and regain the high growth rates wiped out by the 1997 =
Asian=20
      financial crisis, he added.=20
      <P>The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday revised its 1999 growth =
forecast=20
      for Asia minus Japan to 5.7 percent from a previous estimate of =
5.5=20
      percent. Growth for the region in 1998 was 2.3 percent against 6.1 =
percent=20
      in 1997 and 7.4 percent in 1996.=20
      <P>ASEAN will also move toward its goals under AFTA of eliminating =
tariffs=20
      on goods traded in the region, Severino said.=20
      <P>Trade ministers, who meet before the summit, will review =
progress on=20
      lowering tariffs on up to 90 percent of goods to between 0-5 =
percent by=20
      2000 and set a time-table for complete elimination on a =
progressively=20
      wider range of products, he said. <!-- TextEnd --></P></TD><!-- =
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