Kuala lumpur: Malaysia is confident that it will be able to achieve 15 of the 18 Priority Economic Deliverables (PED) in time for the 47th ASEAN Summit next month. Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry’s (MITI) deputy secretary-general (Trade) Mastura Ahmad Mustafa stated that of the 18 initiatives set by Malaysia this year, one has been fully completed, while another eight are close to reaching their targets.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the PEDs spearheaded by Malaysia aim to drive regional economic integration as part of efforts to establish the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Mastura expressed confidence that 15 out of the 18 initiatives will be achieved by the ASEAN Summit in October, with the remaining three expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Mastura highlighted that the PEDs nearing completion include significant agreements such as the signing of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) 3.0 and the new ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), both anticipated to receive endorsem
ent at the ASEAN Summit.

Today’s discussions, Mastura noted, involved only ASEAN member states, allowing all parties to share their perspectives and understanding of regional economic issues. The Preparatory Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (Prep-SEOM), held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), also focused on 10 key agendas, including the status of PED implementation under Malaysia’s commitments this year.

Earlier, Mastura chaired the Prep-SEOM meeting, which was attended by ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) deputy secretary-general Satvinder Singh and Timor-Leste’s representative to ASEAN, Augusto Jr Trindade. ASEAN comprises 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.