Laos is drafting a strategy to develop a set of national quality control
standards, because building trade with other countries in the region will
require up-to-standard facilities to be built and maintained.
Officials from the relevant
sectors attended a seminar in Vientiane yesterday to discuss the draft strategy
on quality control standards before Laos joins the World Trade Organisation
(WTO) later this year or early next year, and becomes part of the Asean
Economic Community (AEC) in 2015.
Membership in the WTO and AEC
will require allowing the free flow of goods and services within the region and
the world. With most countries attaching great importance to protecting their
own interests, they are putting the necessary preparations in place to compete
in a single regional market.
One aspect of this is building up
standards and measurements a nd assessing processing facilities and other
enterprises to make sure they meet the international standards that WTO
requires.
Having quality standardised
infrastructure nationwide will help to protect consumers in terms of health and
safety and environmental protection, and will be required in many areas if
products from Laos are to be recognised on the world market.
Representatives from the Ministry
of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, provincial
authorities and representatives from the private sector attended a quality
control seminar recently, which was chaired by Deputy Minister of Science and
Technology Mr Sakhone Chaleunvong.
Officials said it was essential
to have national quality control standards in place to promote and protect
socio-economic development in Laos and further the country’s integration with
the rest of the region and the world.
Standards in relation to
infrastructure will include developing various techniques and rules regarding
goods production and service delivery, to ensure they meet the standards
required for certification by the International Standards Organisation (ISO).
National quality controls will
help to ensure that factories, processing facilities and other businesses
conform to ISO standards, aiming to promote efficiency in terms of production
and facilitate further international trade.
During yesterday’s seminar, companies
that have already received ISO certification gave presentations about its
benefits, before opening the floor to companies that wish to obtain
certification and answering questions on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of
Industry and Commerce gave a presentation about the WTO situation, how to gain
access to the organisation, and the actions Laos has taken in this regard.
Seminar participants contributed
their opinions to the draft strategy in a frank manner to ensure the quality
control strategy is more comprehensive and easier to implement.
Laos applied to become a WTO
member in 1997 and over the years has gradually refined various laws and
standards pertaining to economics and trade.
The government believes that WTO
membership will help to open up the country’s economy and accelerate the
economic reform process. Most Asean member countries are already members of the
WTO and Laos trades mainly with these countries.
As the Asean Economic Community
draws closer meanwhile, the various sectors in Laos are preparing to deal with
the challenges and opportunities it will present in order to benefit from
regional integration.
The AEC seeks to transform Asean
into a single market and production base; the stated goal is to produce a
highly competitive economic region that is fully integrated into the global
economy, but one in which economic development is equitable.
Source: Vientiane Times
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