ASEAN Aims To Conclude ATIGA Upgrade Talks By 2025

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Feb 9 (Bernama) -- ASEAN countries aim to conclude negotiations for an upgraded ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) by 2025, following a virtual ministerial meeting last Friday.

Ministers addressed key outstanding issues and provided guidance to the ATIGA Upgrade Trade Negotiating Committee, urging them to finalise the talks within the agreed timeline.

The upgraded agreement is expected to be modern and comprehensive, tackling both traditional and emerging trade issues critical for business communities in the region, according to the ASEAN Secretariat.

Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz stated that the meeting focused on reforms to ATIGA designed to spur economic growth and expand market access for local traders.

“ATIGA eliminates or reduces tariffs and other trade barriers between ASEAN countries, making imports and exports cheaper and easier,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Indonesia’s Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti, in a statement, confirmed that 10 out of 17 new chapters in the ATIGA upgrade had been agreed upon, with negotiations 89 per cent complete.

“Indonesia supports all proposed landing zones to speed up negotiations and suggests mandatory liberalisation for ASEAN countries that have yet to meet the average ATIGA commitment,” she noted.

A key outcome of the meeting was the decision to maintain special arrangements for rice and sugar as strategic food commodities within ASEAN, ensuring their regulation under the upgraded ATIGA.

The move aligns with domestic policies and serves as a safeguard to stabilise rice and sugar prices in Indonesia, she added.

-- BERNAMA