National Leaders Voice Continuing Support for ASEAN Economic Community
Leaders of four ASEAN countries reaffirmed the group's commitment to form the ASEAN Economic Community as scheduled in 2015, during the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok May 31. Yingluck Shinawatra, prime minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, said non-physical infrastructures must be addressed, such as laws and regulations that will ensure free cross-border movements of people and goods.
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Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the new architecture is not limited to the grouping’s 10 member states. “The regional economy must be seen from two perspectives, ASEAN and the East Asia Summit” -- the forum that brings together ASEAN and eight other countries, including China, Japan, India, Korea, Russia and the United States.
Increased economic cooperation "will help strengthen the resilience of East Asian nations to external shocks,” said Nguyen Tan Dung, prime minister of Vietnam. Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong said Laos attaches great importance to regional connectivity to transform the country from a landlocked to a land-linked nation.
Kittiratt Na-Ranong, deputy prime minister and minister of finance of Thailand, said he's optimistic that a regional consensus on ASEAN integration will happen. "East Asia and South-East Asia have for too long been focused on export-led growth and we forget that we have room for improvement in our own economies," said the Thai deputy prime minister. He also called for lower logistical costs within the region to better facilitate trade ties and ensure logistical connectivity.