Synopsis:
With the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) represents a major trading block in Asia.

This survey of "South-East Asia" reports the past and future of ten South-East Asian countries. They, all of which belong to ASEAN, are very different in many aspects including political and economic environments. There are so many historical animosities to overcome among the regions. However, mutual interests especially after the economic crisis in 1997 between ASEAN countries and their powerful neighbors (Japan, South Korea and China) could lead to the emergence of a giant trading block, "ASEAN-plus-three." This survey also covers the ten countries in detail.

Full-text Article:http://www.economist.com/tfs/library_tframeset.html

Text connection: Chapter 8 "Regional Economic Integration" (pp.253-254).

Return to This Week in Global News