Can 10 countries with different cultures, traditions, languages, political systems and levels of economic development act in concert to expand their collective potential? That¡¯s the question with which the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has wrestled for decades.
Judging by their leaders¡¯ ambitious vision for cooperation, the answer may be yes.
What began as a straightforward push to reduce trade tariffs has evolved into a blueprint for a dynamic open market of 600 million consumers and a production base that can compete directly with the world¡¯s largest economies. Once in place, the ASEAN economic community (AEC) will transform Southeast Asia ¡ª and its role in the global economy.
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