September 29 , 2008
JAMA Welcomes Accords for Japan-Vietnam EPA and Japan-Switzerland Free Trade & EPA
Satoshi Aoki, Chairman
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) enthusiastically welcomes the general accords reached between Japan and Vietnam as well as between Japan and Switzerland on the establishment of economic partnership agreements (EPAs). We take this opportunity to extend our thanks and appreciation to the Japanese government representatives who helped bring the negotiations for these accords to fruition.
The Japanese automobile industry is engaged in vigorous production activities in the ASEAN region including Vietnam. With the robust market growth forecast for Vietnam, we look forward to the Japan-Vietnam EPA’s making a substantial contribution towards the development of the automobile industry in that country.
With Switzerland, meanwhile, agreement has been reached on the immediate removal of tariffs on all industrial goods, including motor vehicles, and on the adoption of a far user-friendlier certificate-of-origin system. For the Japanese automobile industry, these advances are very significant. The accord reached with Switzerland is the first of its kind to be established with a European country, and JAMA would hope that it would serve to accelerate similar talks with other European nations.
JAMA is confident that these partnership agreements will be instrumental in promoting further trade and investment between Japan and the nations of Vietnam and Switzerland, and in doing so, will also help strengthen the bonds of bilateral friendship and cooperation between the countries involved.
