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Australia keen on trade deal
with M'sia: Vaile |
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KUALA LUMPUR - Australia said on Saturday it is keen to negotiate deeper trade ties with Malaysia like the ones under discussion with its neighbours Singapore and Thailand. "The answer is yes," said Trade Minister Mark Vaile referring to Australia's desire for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Malaysia. "We are anxious to broaden and deepen our economic relationship with all our trading partners, and if we could do that faster than what the multilateral system will deliver, then we will do that," he told Reuters. Canberra, which is due to complete an FTA with Singapore by October and start talks on one with Bangkok any time now, has raised Malaysian hackles before with its plans. Kuala Lumpur has said the plans will undermine accords made by the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). Malaysian Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz said this month after meeting Asean counterparts that disagreement over FTAs was a stale issue, though state news agency Bernama quoted her as describing Singapore's FTAs as academic. "We don't believe them to be academic because they are delivering a much better economic environment, particularly in the services sector for example between ourselves and Singapore," Vaile said. Despite their differences of approach on trade, Malaysia and Australia had two-way business amounting to $8.1 billion Australian dollars ($4.38 billion) in 2001. Australian exports were dominated by metals, food, medicines, education and tourism mainly in exchange for Malaysian electronics and electrical goods. Vaile said he did not see major shifts to the trade relationship from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's decision to step down late next year after what would be 22 years in power. "I don't know that there will be a significant change in direction and I'd have to indicate that during the years of Prime Minister Mahathir's leadership we have seen the relationship grow to where it is now," he said. Asean groups the countries of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. - Reuters
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