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ASEAN leaders adopt MPAC 2025 to further boost regional connectivity

Xinhua, September 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025) here to boost development of five strategic areas such as infrastructure, digital innovation and logistics.

The MPAC 2025 is to succeed the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2010 (MPAC 2010), while the remaining initiatives from MPAC 2010 were evaluated and incorporated in the upgraded version.

The new master plan aims to help investors "seize opportunities in sustainable infrastructure by improving project preparations, enhancing infrastructure productivity and supporting cities in adopting sustainable practices," according to an ASEAN press release.

It will help establish regulatory frameworks for the delivery of new digital services, support sharing of open data and equip micro, small and medium enterprises with capabilities to access new technologies so as to improve digital technologies, which could be worth up to 625 billion U.S. dollars by 2030 in ASEAN, said the paper.

The master plan aims to optimize trade routes in the 10-nation bloc to improve logistics competitiveness so as to ease the movement of goods within the ASEAN community and increase business opportunities for ASEAN citizens.

"The Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 is ambitious, but it is also practical. We have designed strong implementation mechanisms to ensure that effective coordination takes place among various agencies and we can see real change happen over the next 10 years," said Saleumxay Kommasith, Lao foreign minister who chairs the ASEAN Coordinating Council.

The plan, meanwhile, focuses on standards harmonization, mutual recognition and technical regulations, as well as trade-distorting non-tariff measures in order to achieve regulatory excellence.

The MPAC 2025 also pays attention to provide comprehensive information on travel options and simplifying visa application processes since the number of tourists from outside ASEAN could reach 150 million by 2025, said the paper. Endit