Phouphet Kyophilavong: The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint provides a “roadmap” for the achievement of the AEC in 2015. It envisions the integration of member states into a “single market and production base.” It consists of five core elements: (i) free flow of goods; (ii) free flow of services; (iii) free flow of investment; (iv) free flow of capital; and (v) free flow of skilled labor. Deunden Nikomborirak sheds light on the AEC and illustrates the reality of trade and investment liberalization within the ASEAN region to understand the “mentality” of ASEAN states that “keeps them apart.” This paper also highlights and identifies the changes of AEC. In addition, this paper attempts to propose key measures to move the AEC agenda forward.
I summarize the six main findings as follows. First is the single market (trade in goods). Both Most Favored Nation and regional preferential rates are already low. The...