ON 31 December 2015 members of Asean Economics Community will commit
to the goal of regional economic integration. AEC envisages the
following key characteristics: (a) a single market and production base,
(b) a highly competitive economic region, (c) a region of equitable
economic development, and (d) a region fully integrated into the
global economy.The ASEAN Leaders adopted the ASEAN Economic
Blueprint at the 13th ASEAN Summit on 20 November 2007 in
Singapore to serve as a coherent master plan guiding the
establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.The AEC
areas of cooperation include human resources development and capacity building; recognition of professional
qualifications; closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures; enhanced
infrastructure and communications connectivity; development of electronic transactions through e-ASEAN; integrating
industries across the region to promote regional sourcing; and enhancing private sector involvement for the building of the
AEC. In short, the AEC will transform ASEAN into a region with free movement of goods, services, investment, skilled