Japanese Sony recently announced that the company will shift its TV production from its factory in Thailand to Malaysia, in a bid to reduce logistic costs and enjoy a more favorable import tax structure in Malaysia, the Bangkok Post reported on January 18. Sony stated that the plant relocation to Malaysia will be slated for completion in 2010. Upon the completion of relocation, time for Sony's products shipped to Europe will be much shorter. Aside from Sony, another Japanese company Toshiba also relocated its TV production from Thailand to Indonesia several years ago, according to the same source. Meanwhile, the China-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) investment agreement was signed in August 2009, in a bid to reduce and eliminate tariffs and non-tariff barriers in ASEAN. The China-ASEAN FTA (Free Trade Area) became effective on January 1, 2010, enticing a vast majority of international companies into moving their production to the ASEAN region.