Forum highlights challenges to Asean Economic Community

Singapore

THE Asean Economic Community (AEC), due to launch by this year-end, faces challenges in terms of regulation, corruption, and political and religious stability, speakers at the Stars Symposium said on Monday.

For one thing, the 10 Asean countries still have very different regulations, said Joerg Wolle, president and chief executive of Zurich-based market expansion services provider DKSH Holding. Non-tariff barriers especially "remain a serious obstacle to the free flow of goods and services" which the AEC hopes to achieve, he said at a plenary discussion at the symposium.