Participants in the event - entitled "Market Access and Cooperation in Service under the World Trade Organisation and Asean" - agreed that Asean countries should reduce the target date for liberalising their service sector from 2020 to 2015.

They felt this would encourage members to become more efficient.

The participants said Asean should accept the opening up of the service sector among its members.

It was noted that in bilateral trade talks with trading partners, Asean members had offered to open the market for services more quickly and more deeply than their current commitment under Asean.

The conclusions drawn from the seminar will be to the upcoming Asean Economic Ministers Summit, being held in Kuala Lumpur on August 21 and 22.

Winichai Chamchang, deputy director-general of the Trade Negotiations Department, said the suspension of the Doha round had made WTO members focus on bilateral and regional talks. "Accelerated market access will strengthen Asean cooperation. Members now have offered higher privileges in bilateral trade talks than they offered under the Asean Free Trade Area [Afta]," he said.

Under the provisions of Afta, tariff and customs streamlining will focus on 12 priority sectors: agro business, fisheries, automotive, wood products, rubber, textiles and apparel, electronics, information technology, computers, healthcare, aviation and logistics. Tariff restructuring is set for completion by 2010.

The service sectors that Asean members have agreed to implement by 2015 are construction, distribution, education, environment, recreation and sports, transportation and communications.  "Despite the WTO talks suspension, we cannot avoid trade liberalisation. Sooner or later all global trade and services will be more liberalised," said Pimchanok Vonkhorporn, director of the Service and Investment Bureau, adding that Thailand is ready to open up its markets for services such as construction, logistics, computers, spas and tourism.

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation