ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)

Indonesian society and the world is currently experiencing a fairly rapid growth. Developments that are in an era called "postmodern". One evidence of the development of the world community is characterized by economic cooperation and trade between countries. A country's participation in global trade can strengthen relationships, ensure stability, improve living standards and promote economic growth. The state as an entity that has evolved constitutional responsibility to think about the welfare of its people. So is the case of Indonesia, one of the form is to establish cooperation with external parties in the economic, political, social, cultural and defense security.

As one of the countries that are in an ASEAN region, Indonesia pioneered the formation of a community joined together in the region of Southeast Asia called ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). AEC is the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint. AEC is the economic integration of the member countries of ASEAN to create a single market in the ASEAN region. AEC was first coined at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in December 1997 and then continued in the 9th ASEAN Summit in Bali in 2003 which agreed on the establishment of the ASEAN Community is one of the pillars of the AEC. AEC aims to create a single market and production base characterized by free flow of goods, services, investment, skilled labor and capital movement of goods more freely. Priority sectors to be integrated, namely agricultural products, automotive, electronics, fisheries, products derived from rubber, textiles and garments, products derived from wood, air transport, e-ASEAN (ITC), health and tourism.

Facing the era of free markets ASEAN member countries of ASEAN should be prepared with the condition the community and make a number of regulations that facilitate investment, the flow of goods and services, as well as prepare a variety of competitive products or export quality and human resources who can work across ASEAN countries. AEC does not just bring competition and challenges, but also provide a useful opportunity, hopefully Indonesian people can take advantage of this momentum as well as possible.

Thanks.