The meeting for the 23rd Asean Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality with the goal of eliminating technical barriers to trade in the Automotive Sector in Asean through the exchange of information on standards, regulations, procedures and mandatory requirements in Asean member states. Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications Pg Mohd Zain Pg Abdul Razak outlined that Asean is reported to be one of the largest automotive markets in the world. "It will continue to gain in importance as a production base for the world's biggest car manufacturers, especially from Asia, the United states and the European Union." One major item that is set to be completed this year is the Asean MRA (Mutual Recognition Arrangement) on Type Approval for Automotive Products. The main objective of the MRA is to ensure that once a regulated automotive product is tested by a listed testing lab and/or inspected by the listed inspection body in an Asean country, the product can be imported and sold inside another Asean country without being subjected to further testing or inspection.