Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, in Cebu on Sunday. (PTI)

Cebu (The Philippines), Jan. 14 (PTI): India today urged the Asean member countries to expedite negotiations to make the region a free trade area by July 2007, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promising to take steps for a open skies policy and tax rate alignment as part of the Look East approach.

“We should direct our trade ministers to expedite the negotiations so that the FTA can be finalised as agreed by July 2007,” Singh told the 5th India-Asean summit here.

As part of aligning India’s economic policies with those of the region, Singh said, “We have a policy objective of aligning our duty rates with Asean ...We will be willing to engage Asean authorities in a discussion on open skies policy.”

Pointing to the significance of Asean, he said while external trade with east Asian countries accounted for a 30 per cent share, India would surpass the trade target of $30 billion with Asean by 2007.

Meanwhile, China and the Asean agreed on Sunday to cut barriers to trade in services such as telecom, transport and tourism.

Food for thought

Food poisoning laid low dozens of performers, including two beauty queens, at the Asean summit on Saturday, but the show will still go on, organisers said on Sunday.

Around 60 dancers and production staff were struck after eating palabok, a Philippine seafood noodle dish, the day before they were due to perform for 16 Asian leaders at a gala dinner in this central Philippine island.