Southeast Asia is home to almost 700 million people and collectively amounts to the fifth-largest economy in the world. Over the past two years, it has grown between 4-5 per cent, close to the growth of India (between 6-7 per cent) and at times exceeding that of China (between 3-5 per cent).
The region is united through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in a way that goes beyond annual summits between leaders. States prioritise “ASEAN centrality”, seeking to collectively engage with external partners and set up the regional architecture. The ASEAN approach remains focused on unity at a time of global fragmentation, seen in…
