The Australian Peak Shippers Association (APSA), which is affiliated with the Freight and Trade Alliance and is the Commonwealth-appointed organisation, was welcomed by the Asian Shippers Alliance (ASA), a regional alliance of peak trade organisations.
Andy K.H. Seo, Chair of the Asian Shippers Alliance and the Malaysian National Shippers’ Council, welcomed APSA to the alliance.
“As a part of our strength through a growing membership, we have an opportunity to deliver on key policy reform including a need for minimum service levels and a focus on shipping competition law to provide safeguards to our exporters and importers for services provided by foreign-owned carriers,” Seo said.
As per APSA Secretary Paul Zalai, Australia will benefit from and add to this extension by being a reliable and excellent supplier of wares like agriculture, minerals, and energy.
“Australia stands to benefit from, and contribute to, this growth by being a reliable and high-quality supplier of commodities, including agriculture, minerals, and energy.
We share the vision of the ASA for the need for dependable, fair, and predictable shipping and logistics services within the region to help our respective nations prosper,” Zalai said.
“This allows us to collectively build on the opportunities of our geographic proximity, economic complementary, mutual need for trade diversification and network of trade agreements established by our respective governments,” Seo added.
This adds to the union with transporter committee representatives from Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Macau, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Malaysia already existing.
“We are privileged to join the ASA and look forward to collaboration with key stakeholders across commerce and government to achieve necessary reforms to facilitate international trade,” Zalai added.