Foreign investors' confidence in ASEAN rebounds to pre-1997 level¡¡

¡¡KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- ASEAN's global trade in the year 2005 reached 1.226 trillion U.S. dollars, up from 1.072 trillion U.S. dollars in 2004, ASEAN authorities said Monday.

    For the year 2005, total exports of member countries of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expanded by 13.5 percent to 646 billion U.S. dollars compared with the previous year, said the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Council.

    Total imports registered an increase of 15.4 percent, amounting to 579.7 billion in 2005, the council said in a statement released after concluding its 20th meeting in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur.

    As for trade within member countries of the association, intra-ASEAN exports stood at 163.7 billion U.S. dollars, up 15.9 percent, while intra-ASEAN imports reached 142.8 billion U.S. dollars, up 19.3 percent, both on a year-on-year basis.

    The percentage of intra-ASEAN trade in ASEAN total trade remained "relatively constant," which moved slightly from 24.3 percent in 2004 to 25 percent in 2005.

    Japan, the United States, the European Union, China and the Republic of Korea continued to be ASEAN's largest trading partners, said the statement.

    Economic and trade ministers, deputy ministers and other representatives of the 10 ASEAN member countries attended the half-day council meeting. Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister Rafidah Aziz chaired the meeting, with the attendance of ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong .

    The 38th ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) meeting will kick off Tuesday here, which is to be followed by consultations with ASEAN's partners.

    ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Enditem