Module 1: The Three Pillars of ASEAN

Language Focus

Language Focus 4: Abbreviations          

Below is a list of abbreviations you are most likely to find concerning the ASEAN community. Some abbreviations are formed from the first letters and read as words (ASEAN). Others are read as individual letters (UN). When you read the abbreviations in a sentence, the stress often falls on the last letter, e.g.  I heard it from VOA.

TAC Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia
AEM ASEAN Economic Ministers
MRA Mutual Recognition Arrangement
SMEs   Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
IPR Intellectual Property Rights
CEP Comprehensive Economic Partnerships
APSC ASEAN Political-Security Community
AEC ASEAN Economic Community
WTO    World Trade Organization
UN United Nations
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations  
OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
AFTA ASEAN Free Trade Area
ASEAN+3 ASEAN and China, Japan and South Korea
ASEAN+6 ASEAN and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India
ASEAN+8 ASEAN and China, Japan , South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and The United States