FTA talks: Shift in policy bad for local players

Source: Free Malaysia Today

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:41

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By Syed Jaymal Zahiid

KUALA LUMPUR: The resuming bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks between Malaysia and the European Union (EU) reflects a shift in the government procurement policy that could be detrimental to local businesses.

Government procurement was the sensitive issue that became the stumbling block in the failed initial talks between Asean and the EU but the revelation made by International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapha Mohamad in Parliament on Monday suggested otherwise.

Mustapha had said in a reply to Klang DAP parliamentarian Charles Santiago that Malaysia is prepared to study the viability of opening up its procurement policy.

“Even though the talks are still in the early stages, the meeting session between Malaysia and EU is the best avenue to study the readiness of the Malaysian government. But there have been vast changes between the current round of talks and the previous engagement.

“Malaysia now has a world-class intellectual property rights protection system while the Competition Policy is negotiable since the National Competition Bill has been passed,” said Mustapha.

Santiago contended that the language used by the minister was a far cry from the government’s position on the procurement policy when the first of round of talks collapsed.

“The government procurement policy and the intellectual property rights were the two contentious issues that caused the collapse of the first talks,” he told FMT in Parliament here.

“Now we are ready to talk again, meaning the government is ready to open up its procurement policy,” argued the first-term Klang MP.

Policy shift bad for local businesses

Santiago said any move to open up government procurement policies for fair competition is good for the economy but he warned that the shift may do more harm than good to local businesses.

Committing the government procurement policy under the FTA means opening up government contracts to foreign bidders and this may narrow the government’s “policy space”.

“In any country, you must allow some space for policy manoeuvring but if they open up the government procurement policy, it will lose its space,” said Santiago.

The Klang MP proposed that the policy be restricted to local businesses to spur domestic growth.

Email us your comments to comment@freemalaysiatoday.com

 

[Video] Perjanjian perdagangan bebas antara negara China dengan ASEAN

Source : Youtube / DAP

 

Hanya Sektor Besi Dan Keluli Risau Impak Acfta, Kata Mustapa

Sumber : Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Mac (Bernama) — Hanya sektor besi dan keluli telah melahirkan kerisauan mengenai impak persaingan sengit dari pengimportan produk berkenaan dari China berikutan pelaksanaan Perjanjian Kawasan Perdagangan Bebas ASEAN-China (ACFTA) berperingkat-peringkat mulai Julai 2005.

Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed berkata kementeriannya (MITI) tidak menerima maklum balas negatif dari kebanyakan industri tempatan lain terhadap pelaksanaan ACFTA itu.

“Setakat ini, tidak ada negara ASEAN yang bercadang untuk berunding semula konsesi di bawah ACFTA.”

“Adalah diingatkan bahawa penurunan tarif (duti import) ini bukanlah secara mendadak tetapi dibuat secara berperingkat-peringkat sejak 2005,” katanya semasa menggulung perbahasan usul Menjunjung Kasih Titah Ucapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin bagi kementeriannya di Dewan Rakyat di sini hari ini.

Mustapa berkata China merupakan rakan perdagangan terbesar Malaysia sejak 2009 selepas Singapura, Amerika Syarikat dan Jepun dengan jumlah dagangan RM127.9 bilion atau 12.9 peratus daripada perdagangan luar Malaysia pada 2009.

Beliau berkata demikian semasa menjawab soalan Charles Santiago (DAP-Klang) yang membangkitkan mengenai pelaksanaan dan kesan ACFTA kepada peniaga dalam negara.

Katanya jumlah eksport Malaysia ke China bernilai RM67.24 bilion dan jumlah import Malaysia dari China pula bernilai RM60.66 bilion, dengan lebihan dagangan RM6.58 bilion yang menyebelahi Malaysia.

Beliau berkata syarikat Malaysia telah mendapat faedah dari peningkatan eksport ke pasaran China melalui FTA itu.

“Penggunaan Sijil Keutamaan Tempasal (Borang E) menunjukkan peningkatan 143 peratus pada tahun 2009. Sebanyak 23,424 Borang E telah dikeluarkan dengan jumlah eksport sebanyak RM8.4 bilion,” katanya.

Menurutnya, produk utama yang dieksport menerusi FTA menggunakan Borang E ialah getah, minyak sayuran, asid stearik, minyak kelapa sawit mentah dan asid asetik.

Mustapa berkata kerajaan sentiasa memantau impak FTA dan akan mengambil langkah bersesuaian bagi memastikan industri tempatan dapat bersaing dengan China.

“Sekiranya industri tempatan terjejas disebabkan ACFTA, kerajaan boleh mengambil langkah strategik lain untuk menanganinya seperti anti-lambakan dan “safeguard,” katanya.

Katanya kerajaan juga memastikan Produk yang diimport mematuhi aspek standard, kesihatan, keselamatan, sanitari dan fito-sanitari (SPS) yang ditetapkan.

“Di bawah ACFTA, produk yang diimport ke Malaysia harus memenuhi elemen di atas seperti yang termaktub di dalam perjanjian tersebut dan juga Peraturan Syarat Tempasal (ROO).

Mengenai soalan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PKR-Permatang Pauh) yang membangkitkan angka pelaburan asing dari Laporan Persidangan Pertubuhan Bangsa Bersatu Mengenai Pembangunan dan Perdagangan (UNCTAD) bertarikh Disember 2009, Mustapa menjelaskan angka yang terkandung dalam laporan tersebut adalah bagi laporan tahun 2008.

Katanya jumlah pelaburan asing untuk Malaysia bagi tahun 2009 adalah AS$2.7 bilion dan bukannya RM2.1 bilion seperti yang dinyatakan Anwar.

Angka pelaburan asing yang dirujuknya dipetik dari laporan interim UNCTAD iaitu Global Investment Trends Monitor bagi tahun 2009 yang diterbitkan pada Januari 2010, katanya.

Oleh itu, angka yang dinyatakannya adalah yang terkini dan lebih tepat berbanding angka pada 2008 yang disebut Anwar, katanya.

Mengenai isu Lesen Import (AP) bahan makanan serta monopoli dalam pemberian AP gula yang dibangkitkan Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) dan Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad (BN-Johor Baharu), Mustapa berkata kerajaan bersetuju dengan pandangan supaya AP gula tidak dimonopoli atau diberikan kepada individu tertentu sahaja.

Pada masa ini, katanya AP hanya dikeluarkan untuk pengimportan gula mentah kepada para pengilang yang dilesenkan di bawah Akta Penyelarasan Perindustrian 1975 untuk diproses sebagai gula bertapis.

“Sehingga kini, enam Lesen Pengilang telah diluluskan bagi mengeluarkan gula bertapis dan empat daripadanya telah beroperasi. Sistem pemberian AP yang diamalkan bertujuan untuk memastikan bekalan gula bertapis bagi pasaran domestik sentiasa mencukupi dan harganya terkawal,” katanya.

Memandangkan pada masa ini terdapat beberapa permohonan untuk mengimport gula bertapis, katanya kerajaan sedang mengkaji secara mendalam supaya pemberian AP gula bertapis dapat dipertimbangkan kepada pihak industri yang berkaitan.

— BERNAMA

 

Big jump in exports to China

Source : The Star

Thursday April 1, 2010

MALAYSIA’S exports to China increased by 143% last year compared with 2006, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.

The export value was RM8.4bil last year with a total of 23,424 certificates of origins issued, he said.

“This means that Malaysian companies are benefiting from increasing exports after the implementation of the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in July 2005,” he said.

Under the Asean-China FTA, the import duties were reduced in stages.

On Jan 1, import duties were abolished when 90% of products traded in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and China became duty free.

“The import duties of the remaining 10% would be reduced eventually,” he said in his reply to Charles Santiago (DAP-Klang).

Mustapa said products exported to China included rubber, vegetable oil, stearic acid, raw palm oil and acetic acid.

Total exports of Malaysia to China was RM67.24bil while imports from China was worth RM60.66bil last year.

“Malaysia enjoys a trade surplus of RM6.58bil with China,” he said.

Mustapa said the ministry had yet to receive any negative feedback from local industries on the implementation of Asean-China FTA.

“The iron and steel industry sector is worried about the stiff competition from China,” he said.

Mustapa said the Government would monitor the impact of the FTA and would take the necessary steps to ensure that the local industry could compete with China.

“Malaysia will continue to discuss with other Asean countries to ensure that Asean-China FTA would not bring adverse effects to Asean,” he said.

Currently, the Government ensures that imported products from China met the standards in all aspects including health and security.

 

Jawapan Parlimen : Analisa Cost-Benefit Perjanjian FTA India-ASEAN & China-ASEAN

Soalan :

YB Charles Santiago [Klang] minta Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri menyatakan adakah kerajaan membuat analisa cost-benefit termasuk impak assessment ekonomi dan sosial sebelum menandatangani perjanjian India-ASEAN FTA dan China-ASEAN FTA. Adakah kerajaan bercadang untuk declassify laporan berkenaan demi kepentingan semua

 

Jawapan Parlimen : Status perbincangan perdagangan bebas (FTA) di antara EU-ASEAN

Soalan : Tuan Charles Santiago minta Menteri Perdagangan antarabangsa dan industri menyatakan status perbincangan perdagangan bebas di antara EU-ASEAN. Mungkinkah perbincangan FTA ini tukar kepada hala bi-lateral.

Jawapan :

 

The EU–ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Region-to-region versus the bilateral approach (Video)

Source : TNI

“ASEAN should build a different kind of regionalism and not sign bilateral Free Trade Agreements with the EU”, says Malaysian MP Mr. Charles Santiago in Brussels in a debate with Mr. Bercero, chief negotiator for the EU in the EU-Korea FTA and Mr. Helmut Markov, chair of the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament.

This debate highlighted key issues in the current negotiations between the EU and ASEAN such as:

– the EU’s aggressive approach to liberalization of all goods and services
– the lack of transparency in the negotiations
– the contradictions between the region-to-region approach vs. the bilateral approach to the negotiations
– and the fact that FTAs are no way out of the crisis

The debate, part of TNI’s Debating Europe series, was held on 28th April 2009 in Brussels.

Watch the videos of Mr. Bercero and Mr. Helmut Markov – Here

 

Debating Europe Series: The EU – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement

Source : Transnational Institute

Region-to-region versus the Bilateral approach

Date	28 April 2009
Location	Brussels, Belgium
Type of activity	public debate
Speaker(s)	Charles Santiago, Helmut Markov
Description	DATE: Tuesday, April 28 2009 TIME: 8.45 – 10.45, breakfast will be served. Registration starts at 8.30 VENUE: Résidence Palace – International Press Centre, Salle Maelbeek, Rue de la Loi 155 – Bloc C, 1040 Brussels

Debate panel

– Mr. Charles Santiago, Member of Parliament in Malaysia for the Democratic Action Party

– Mr. Helmut Markov, Member of European Parliament for the GUE/NGL, chairman of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade

European Commission representative (to be confirmed)

In May 2007, the European Union launched its Asia policy strategy – the New Partnership for the 21st Century with Asia. The initiative included simultaneous negotiations for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with India, Korea and ASEAN. The proposed EU-ASEAN FTA aims for reciprocal and progressive liberalization of all goods and services, and the inclusion of the so-called Singapore issues – already rejected by developing countries in the WTO Doha Round negotiations. A distinct feature of the negotiations between the EU and ASEAN is the region-to-region approach. Talks so far however failed to generate the needed momentum and might lead to a bilateral approach to the negotiations, similar to what has happened with ongoing negotiations the EU is conducting with Colombia, Peru and Ecuador after the break of negotiations with the Andean Community of Nations region.

This Debate will deal with some of the following questions: what will be the effect of the FTA on economic development in Southeast Asia? How will the proposed agreement affect the asymmetries within the region? Will it help address the development gaps that exist within the region or will it only exacerbate the disparities and widen the development divide? In case the negotiations with the region shift to a bilateral approach, how will this impact on regional integration in ASEAN, given ASEAN’s own assertions of regional unity with the historic adoption of the ASEAN Charter?

This event is part of ‘Debating Europe’, a debate series organised in Brussels by the Transnational Institute with policy makers, MEPs and representatives of Civil Society.

For registration and information contact:
Pablosanchez@tni.org
00 32 (0) 486. 50 79 96