Upgrading the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement: Negotiations 98% Complete

(Chinhphu.vn) - ASEAN Economic Ministers highly appreciated the efforts of the Negotiation Committee and technical groups in the recent negotiation process to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, and acknowledged that after 14 official negotiation sessions, ASEAN countries have now completed nearly 98% of the progress.

The Vietnamese delegation, led by Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, attended the Conference online.

On the morning of May 9, the 2nd Special ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting on the Negotiations to Upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) took place online under the chairmanship of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of Singapore with the participation of ASEAN Economic Ministers and the ASEAN Secretary-General. The Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice attended the Conference.

The meeting took place in the context of a rapidly changing and unpredictable global trade environment, therefore, ASEAN Economic Ministers shared the view that the completion of the ATIGA upgrade negotiations will send positive signals to the business community about ASEAN's strong commitment to regional economic integration through reducing trade barriers, facilitating trade and improving supply chain connectivity as well as affirming ASEAN's support for an open, transparent and rules-based multilateral trading system.

At the Conference, ASEAN Economic Ministers highly appreciated the efforts of the ATIGA Negotiation Committee (TNC) and technical groups in the recent negotiation process to upgrade the ATIGA Agreement, and acknowledged that after 14 official negotiation sessions, ASEAN countries have now completed nearly 98% of the negotiation progress.

Vietnamese delegation attends the Conference online

At the Conference, the Chairman of the TNC Committee reported to the Ministers on outstanding issues in a number of areas such as rules of origin, refurbished goods, transparency, further tariff liberalization, the entry into force provisions of the upgraded ATIGA Agreement, etc., as well as made recommendations to address these issues. Based on the report of the Chairman of the TNC Committee, the Ministers gave necessary directions towards a flexible, practical and mutually beneficial negotiation conclusion plan, thereby reaffirming the commitment to complete negotiations and sign the upgraded ATIGA Agreement according to the plan agreed by the parties.

On the Vietnamese side, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien supported the early conclusion of the negotiations to upgrade the ATIGA Agreement and welcomed the positive working results of the TNC Committee and technical groups in the recent past. After sharing Vietnam's views on the proposals of the TNC Chair and expressing the willingness to be as flexible as possible on the remaining issues to promote the negotiation process, the Minister called on the countries to continue promoting the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, together resolving the remaining differences on the basis of balancing interests, towards an upgraded ATIGA Agreement that is feasible, effective and sustainable for all parties.

The conference ended successfully on the same morning, creating a favorable foundation for the next rounds of negotiations, aiming to sign the Second Protocol upgrading the ATIGA Agreement on the occasion of the 47th ASEAN Summit scheduled to take place in November 2025 in Malaysia.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/nang-cap-hiep-dinh-thuong-mai-hang-hoa-asean-hoan-thanh-98-tien-do-dam-phan-102250509102626052.htm