KOTA TINGGI, Feb 22 (Bernama) -- The 12th Working Group-ASEAN Economic Community (WG-AEC) Meeting kickstarted today ahead of the 31st ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) Retreat, which is scheduled to take place on Feb 28.
Chaired by Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) senior director of ASEAN Economic Integration Division Sugumari S. Shanmugam, the two-day WG-AEC meeting physically gathered 30 delegates from all ASEAN member states as well as Timor-Leste and the ASEAN Secretariat at the Desaru Coast Convention Centre here in Johor.
The delegates consisted of various backgrounds including from different ministries and agencies, not limited to economic or trade, subject to the appointment or mandate from their respective countries.
Apart from physical meeting, video conferencing facilities are also provided and are expected to attract virtual participation among ASEAN member states and Timor-Leste as well as appointed consultants.
Participants of the meeting are expected to negotiate, present views and positions, formulate and contribute to the development of the ASEAN Economic Community Strategic Plan 2026-2030.
Following the WG-AEC meeting, the 47th High-Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration (HLTF-EI) will take place on Feb 24-25 before the Preparatory Senior Economic Officials' Meeting (Prep-SEOM) for the 31st AEM Retreat convenes on Feb 26 and 27.
The week-long event will culminate on Feb 28 when ASEAN economic ministers are scheduled for a retreat at the beach resort of Desaru to discuss 18 priority economic deliverables (PEDs) aimed at driving regional economic integration, inclusivity, sustainability and digital trade.
The retreat is being held in conjunction with Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN with the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, reflecting Malaysia's aspiration towards building a more inclusive and sustainable ASEAN community.
Among the priorities and deliverables of Malaysia as the chairman of ASEAN is to increase intra-ASEAN trade and investment as well as explore and expand ASEAN economic partnerships beyond the region.
-- BERNAMA
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