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Political & Security | Economic | Social & Development

Archived Highlights

   Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 2, April 2008

 

 

 

 

 

   Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1, March 2008

 

 

 

 

 

Scot A. Marciel Nominated as Ambassador to ASEAN

February 25, Washington D.C.—President George W. Bush nominated Scot A. Marciel Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a position called for by Senate Resolution 110. The nomination is subject to Senate confirmation.....[full story]
 
 
 

U.S. Senate Argues for U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN 

On March 15, 2007 U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republican leader Richard Lugar introduced a resolution to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of the ASEAN –U.S. Dialogue and affirm appreciation for the relationship. Lugar’s resolution calls for full implementation of the ASEAN – United States Enhanced Partnership. It also urges appointment of the U.S. Ambassador for ASEAN Affairs, a proposal first introduced by Lugar.
 

 

 

ASEAN Pharmaceutical Officials Tour the U.S. 

The U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility sponsored a tour of six drug regulatory officials from ASEAN to Washington D.C. in April. The six officials attended the week-long Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Forum for International Drug regulatory authorities. ASEAN officials also held consultations with various US Government agencies and the U.S. private sector. Pharmaceutical industry representatives asked tough questions regarding ASEAN’s progress in implementing the ASEAN Common Technical Dossier for the registration of pharmaceutical products. However, they were also complementary of ASEAN setting a positive example on regional integration.
 

ASEAN-US Science and Technology Agreement Proposed 

ASEAN’S Committee on Science and Technology (COST) discussed a proposed agreement for ASEAN-U.S. cooperation in science and technology at its 53rd meeting April 24-27, 2007, in Da Nang, Vietnam. Singapore’s National COST Chair and an Executive Director in its Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), formally presented the agreement for consideration by COST. A U.S. representative from EAP attended the Committee’s discussions.
 
 

Smithsonian Folklife Festival – “Mekong River: Connecting Cultures” 

The Smithsonian 41st annual Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington D.C. will feature a presentation entitled “Mekong River: Connecting Cultures.” This presentation will introduce the diverse cultures of the Mekong region in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos to thousands of visitors this July using craft demonstrations, performances and hands-on activities.

U.S. Sponsors Study Tour for ASEAN Pharmaceutical Officials 

The U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility sponsored a tour of six drug regulatory officials from ASEAN to Washington D.C. in April. The six officials from Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam attended the week-long Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Forum for International Drug regulatory authorities. The forum provided training on bioequivalence, product quality, safety and efficacy, good manufacturing practices and post-market surveillance. ASEAN officials also held consultations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), representatives of U.S. industries and officials from the State Department, USTR, Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The FDA welcomed ASEAN requests for training and suggested they be channeled through the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Global Cooperation Group (GCG) where the US and ASEAN are members. The FDA discussed assisting with ASEAN training following a GCG meeting in Japan in October. The FDA’s alumni association volunteered to follow up on training needs. Pharmaceutical industry representatives asked tough questions regarding ASEAN’s progress in implementing the ASEAN Common Technical Dossier for the registration of pharmaceutical products. They were also complementary of ASEAN setting a positive example on regional integration. USTR and the USPTO stressed the need for the protection of intellectual property rights. Please refer any questions about the study tour to James.Wallar@aseansec.org

U.S-ASEAN Cooperation on Advancing Science and Technology  

ASEAN’S Committee on Science and Technology (COST) discussed a proposed agreement for ASEAN-U.S. cooperation in science and technology at its 53rd meeting April 24-27, 2007, in Da Nang, Vietnam. Professor Chong Tow Chong, Singapore’s National COST Chair and an Executive Director in its Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), formally presented the agreement for consideration by COST. A U.S. representative from EAP attended the Committee’s discussions.

The Committee ultimately endorsed the agreement in principle and recommended that the final document be signed at the ministerial level, preferably by Ministers of Science and Technology. Member countries will be consulting through the end of June with their Ministries to refine the agreement for signing at the ASEAN-U.S. Commemorative Summit this September.

Since this agreement would facilitate specialized implementing agreements with USG agencies, the Committee recommended that the potential areas of cooperative work reflect the focus of each of COST’s specialized subcommittees. These include the infrastructure of science and technology as well as technical fields such as food science, biotechnology, non-conventional energy, and meteorology, among others.

ASEAN Electronics Standards Workshop – Increasing Product Safety 

Did an exploding television cause the fire or was it Buddy’s cigarette that dropped on the sofa when he fell asleep? The answer to such a question is important for manufactures of electronic products and experts setting standards and certifying product safety. To address that type of question and others, the ASEAN-US Technical Assistance and Training Facility conducted a three-day workshop on forensic fire investigations, as well as standard setting, conformity assessment, hazard-based engineering and market surveillance. The workshop was held April 17-19, 2007, in Hanoi and included representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam. U.S. experts from the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) and the U.S. National Electrical Manufacturer’s Association, plus experts from Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore made presentations at the workshop.

The ASEAN Joint Sectoral Committee on Electrical and Electronic Products welcomed the workshop as a contribution to its deliberations on the details of their agreement to harmonize electrical and electronic product standards and accept each other’s conformity assessment tests (EEE regime). As electrical and electronic products are the most traded product category among ASEAN countries, the EEE regime would be a major contribution to ASEAN economic integration. For further information, please contact James Wallar at james.wallar@aseansec.org .

ASEAN Secretary General Participates in Secretary of State’s Open Forum 

One of the inaugural 30th anniversary commemorative events took place March 22nd when Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Jayakumar, a member of the ASEAN Eminent Persons Group, and ASEAN Secretary General Ong Keng Yong, participated in a Secretary of State’s Open Forum discussion on ASEAN. They described ASEAN’s plans for the Charter and the building of the ASEAN Community. Deputy Prime Minister Jayakumar also met with Secretary Rice. Their visit was very effective in bringing ASEAN to the attention of policy makers and the non-government sector.
 

ASEAN Secretariat Officials Take Study Tour in Washington, D.C. 

On February 12 – 15, 2007, the ASEAN-US Technical Assistance and Training Facility, funded by the USAID Regional Development Mission/Asia (RDM/A) sponsored senior officials of the ASEAN Secretariat’s Trade Facilitation Office on a four day study tour to Washington, DC. The training was designed to improve ASEAN coordination and public outreach by learning about the U.S. system for interagency coordination and private sector dialogue. Meetings with U.S. agencies included the USTR, the US Customs and Border Patrol, the Department of Commerce, the US FDA and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Joint U.S.-Brunei Project in Aceh

Progress continues on the joint development project in Aceh which was first envisioned by Secretary Rice and Brunei Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the margins of the ASEAN Post Ministerial in July 2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The US component of the US/Brunei rebuilding project has already started construction of roughly 100 houses and is scheduled to be completed in May or June 2007. The project budget is slightly over $950,000. The houses are being built in a village close to the area where Brunei will build a mosque and a school. The Brunei component of the project is expected to move forward soon.

30th Anniversary Logo

Together ASEAN and the U.S. have developed a logo to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of U.S. - ASEAN Relations. The logo represents the union of the United States with ASEAN, as seen from the blend of the two flags. The blend of the two icons represents the dialogue.

 

 

ASEAN Workshop on Competition & Integration 

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice conducted a four-day workshop in Hanoi, Vietnam March 19-22, 2007 on "Investigating Abuse of Dominance Cases." The goal of the workshop was to align ASEAN members' thinking about competition in preparation for their planned economic integration in 2015. Discussion and group exercises focused on defining relevant markets and barriers to entry, determining market power and efficiency considerations, and exploring remedies and sanctions.

The workshop was hosted by the Vietnamese Competition Administration Department ("VCAD") and the ASEAN Consultative Forum for Competition ("ACFC") and co-sponsored by the OECD. Attendees included competition experts from the ASEAN Secretariat, Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, OECD, Singapore, Thailand, the U.S. and Vietnam. The VCAD also organized a complementary, one day outreach program to engage the Vietnamese public about competition policy and regional integration issues. For further information contact: Tim Hughes, thughes@ftc.gov.

USABC Gala Dinner 

The Honorable Charles B. Rangel, Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, was the keynote speaker at the U.S. - ASEAN Business Council's annual dinner on March 29, 2007. The dinner is the culmination of the annual U.S. Ambassadors Tour sponsored by the Council - a country-wide tour by our envoys to ASEAN. This year, the delegation included Ambassador Chris LaFleur (Malaysia), Ambassador Patricia Herbold (Singapore), Ambassador Skip Boyce (Thailand) and Ambassador Mike Marine (Vietnam). The Dinner has become the principal annual forum in Washington focused specifically on Southeast Asia. More than 400 leaders from business, government, NGOS and media attended.

Commerce Meetings on Standards 

Department of Commerce International Trade Specialist Stephen Berlinguette recently visited Jakarta, Bangkok, and Ha Noi to plan activities on Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Regulatory Cooperation as part of the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership Plan of Action for 2007.

Mr. Berlinguette discussed the standards, conformity assessment, and regulatory cooperation proposals under the Plan of Action, which center upon workshops in both the automotive and medical devices sectors, with government officials, as well as representatives from the private sector, industry associations, and standards development organizations. Officials from the ASEAN Secretariat confirmed that the ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) has endorsed the 2007 Plan of Action, and that ASEAN Product Working Groups (PWG) are in the final stages of studying the content of the workshop proposals. Representatives from both PWGs indicated that they will soon finalize the logistics of the next automotive and medical devices PWG meetings. These meetings are likely to be held in the summer and will provide target dates and locations for the workshops under the 2007 Plan of Action. Finally, Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese representatives from the private sector and government also endorsed the standards, conformity assessment, and regulatory cooperation proposals under the Plan of Action, and provided detailed inputs in discussions regarding workshop topics and objectives

For more information regarding Standards, Conformity Assessment, and Regulatory Cooperation under the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership Plan of Action for 2007 please contact: Stephen Berlinguette, International Trade Administration, Market Access and Compliance Office of the Pacific Basin, stephen.berlinguette@mail.doc.gov.

Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) 

State, USTR and USAID officials attended the Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) in Kuala Lumpur on January 31, 2007.  They discussed progress on the U.S./ASEAN TIFA, the Enhanced Partnership Economic Agenda, and the U.S./ASEAN Technical Assistance and Training Facility.  The SEOM discussed and endorsed State/EB’s “Economic Agenda,” which proposes cooperation on Standards, IPR Enforcement, and Doing Business /Good Governance.  The SEOM further noted that the Economic Agenda initiatives were in general conformity with the work being done by the ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility.  Further information on the Facility can be obtained from Skip Kissinger, USAID/RDM/A, at skissinger@usaid.gov or Jim Wallar, Resident Trade Expert, at james.wallar@aseansec.org.  For other EB-related issues contact Robert Pollard at PollardRA@state.gov. 

Science and Technology Agreement

March 2007. A formal agreement for ASEAN-U.S. Cooperation in science and technology is a key point in the Enhanced Partnership Plan of Action.  State and its interagency partners are preparing a proposed agreement for discussion with the interlocutors in Singapore and ASEAN’s Committee on Science and Technology.  The agreement will foster cooperation among USG agencies and their ASEAN and member-country counterparts.  Target areas are those with natural regional impact, such as energy, environment, and health.  Existing bilateral agreements and MOUs would be unaffected - and should be enhanced because of wider access – by this regional agreement.  

U.S. President Bush Meets with ASEAN Leaders

In November 2006, ASEAN Member Countries and the United States of America issued a Joint Press Statement in which they agreed to continue to advance the Enhanced Partnership and the Plan of Action during 2007.

 

 

Symposium on ASEAN – US Cooperation

Pursuant to the establishment of the Enhanced Partnership in January 2006, the U.S. Department of State and Agency for International Development sponsored a Symposium on ASEAN-U.S. Cooperation in Washington, D.C., which explored the scope of U.S. expertise within in the three broad areas for collaboration set out in the Joint Vision Statement. In addition, the Symposium also initiated dialog among various professional communities on how the Enhanced Partnership can be implemented as a multi-sector initiative, with limited inter-governmental cooperation leading to large-scale engagement among NGOs, academic institutions, and commercial firms.

To read the Summary Report of the Symposium on ASEAN-US Cooperation organized by the Institute for International Education please click on the following link here.

U.S. Signs TIFA with ASEAN 

In a joint media statement issued after the signing of the U.S.-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), the ASEAN Economic Ministers reaffirmed the importance of bringing the ASEAN region and the United States closer with a signed TIFA and welcomed the progress achieved and outputs of the ASEAN-U.S. Technical Assistance and Training Facility. They acknowledged that the Facility reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to engage ASEAN in constructive ways and assist in the integration process in the region. The ASEAN Ministers expressed appreciation for the $4.5 million regional capacity building assistance and nearly $40 million bilateral trade capacity building the United States has provided to ASEAN Members Countries in 2005.

 

 

Enterprise for ASEAN Introduction

The 10 ASEAN Member Countries as a collective group is the United States' fifth largest trading partner. President Bush announced the Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative (EAI) in October 2002, to strengthen US trade and investment ties with ASEAN Member Countries, both regionally and bilaterally, and to enhance its already close relationship with the US. For ASEAN, this initiative will help boost trade and redirect investment back to the ASEAN region, while ASEAN's continued growth and large regional population provide opportunities for US companies.

Under the EAI, the US offers the prospect of bilateral free trade agreements (FTA) with ASEAN Member Countries committed to economic reforms and openness. In preparation for FTA negotiations, the US first assists with the development of a bilateral trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) and supports ASEAN Member Countries' efforts to join the World Trade Organization. Since the launch of the EAI, the US has concluded an FTA with Singapore and begun FTA negotiations with Thailand and Malaysia. The US also has TIFAs in effect with Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, and Cambodia. In November 2005, under the auspices of the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership, the US and ASEAN Member Countries took a significant new step by agreeing to work towards a region-wide US-ASEAN TIFA, focusing on areas of shared interest like intellectual property rights, customs and trade facilitation, biotechnology, sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS) issues, small and medium enterprises, and information and communications technology. (please see USTR website for more information on TIFAs and FTAs.)

ASEAN Cooperation Plan Introduction

The ASEAN Cooperation Plan (ACP) is a US-funded initiative supporting activities that advance mutual interests in areas such as trade promotion and transnational crime control. Initiated in August 2002, the ACP aims to:

The program has initiated over 20 projects valued at more than $9 million and has brought together a broad cross-section of government agencies, non-government organizations, academic institutions, and private sector entities. Brief descriptions of the following ACP projects are presented in the linked activity summaries.

Disaster Management   PDF

Economic Integration   PDF

Energy and the Environment   PDF

Infectious Diseases   PDF

Science and Technology   PDF

Transnational Crime   PDF

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