A quiet signing with no questions

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation

Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan has quietly signed the Asean-Japan Compre-hensive Economic Partnership pact without subjecting it to a public hearing as required by law, raising concerns about a hidden agenda and possible impacts.

A Commerce Ministry source said last week that Mingkwan

proceeded to sign the AJCEP on April 11, despite not holding a

press conference to show the public the achievement.

The agreement was due to be signed by all Asean member countries and Japan next month at the Asean Economic Ministerial meeting in Bali. However, Mingkwan decided to do it individually.

The Cabinet approved the pact for signing on March 25. However, under the new Constitution, any international commitment made by the government must pass through the public hearing process and be ratified by Parliament before it can be signed.

The Trade Negotiations Department has reported that the AJCEP should increase Thai exports by 25 per cent since it will open market access for 71 pro-ducts not already liberalised under the existing Japan-Thailand Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Asean exports to Japan are estimated to rise by US$20.63 billion (Bt648.6 billion) from the current $81.28 billion, while imports are set to reach $80.49 billion.

The additional products that will see immediate cuts in import duties worth $53 million are fish and fish products, bananas, processed foods, chemical products and wood.

Thailand will also gain from rules of origin under AJCEP for particular goods, including non-woven textiles, alcohol, processed food from meat and aquacultural foods, instant cereals, milk, and fruits and vegetables.

Japan is Asean's largest trading partner, with a combined value of $1.62 trillion a year. The country is also the largest investor in Asean, with a total of $11 billion a year.