AEO in AEC

摘要

'AEC 2015' can be overheard in many discussions nowadays. Everybody wants to be prepared, but unfortunately very few details are known by most of the people concerned. Is the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) hype or reality? What is AEC exactly? Ostensibly, AEC is not exactly a new idea. There are similar economic blocs around the world, but a straightforward comparison with, say, the European Union, is flawed, not only because of the specific history of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the diversity of member states' economies, but also because of a lack of a central executive body to carry out implementation of AEC. What we do know about AEC is that it is a strategic agreement promoting a single market and production base as well as competition in the region's economies. While it is expected to become a reality next year, that is still far from certain, although it may be partly in place. But it will be a reality and companies operating in the region need to be taking steps to take advantage.