Spurred by the establishment of the European Union and the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the six member states agreed to establish the ASEAN Free Trade Area by 2008, by which time tariffs would be pulled down to under 5 %.
「東協受到歐盟、北美自由貿易區相繼成立的刺激，當時的 6 個會員國終於同意將於 15 年後（2008）年成立『東協自由貿易區』（AFTA），將區域內關稅降至 5 % 以下。」