Connectivity is key to Asean integration

IT HAS been 51 years since Asean’s founding fathers signed the historic Bangkok Declaration.

While Asean as a pact has achieved significant milestones, including remarkable progress from regional matters such as food security to the establishment of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, yet we have to admit that we are still behind in terms of regional economic integration as compared to the likes of the European Union, never mind the Brexit.

Asean has so much to offer the world and the successful and colourful representation of our region’s fusion of cultures at the Asean Cultural Week 2018 held at the China International Exhibition Center, Beijing, stood out in the eyes of the world.

The second instalment of the Asean Cultural Week, themed Fusing Cultures, Celebrating Diversity, was the highlight of the 13th China Beijing International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo. It received much praise and acknowledgement by the Chinese Government as well as the other exhibitors from around the world.

Our colourful and spicy affair bears witness that diversity should never be an excuse for division but a reason for celebration. Many visitors who thronged our pavilion were pleasantly surprised that although the green spicy papaya salad on offer originated from ethnic Lao people, it is also eaten throughout South-East Asia. It is known in Cambodia as bok l’hong, in Laos as tam som or tam maak hoong, in Thailand as som tum, and in Vietnam as goi du du. Asean’s connection through our roots and food was on display for the world, and demonstrates that when Asean works together as one towards a common goal, we can achieve our full potential.

Asean offers opportunities in the form of a huge market of US$2.6tril and over 622 million people. In 2014, AEC was collectively the third largest economy in Asia and the seventh largest in the world. By 2030, we are touted to become the fourth largest economy in the world.

Having produced the Asean Cultural Week theme song We Are The Ones, with the aim of enhancing strategic co-operation among our peoples in the Asean region and China, the success of Asean Cultural Week 2018 demonstrates that strategic co-operation of Asean nations and China, even the rest of the world, is achievable and that our region’s economic integration may soon turn into reality if we remain committed.

As we build on the success of 2018 Asean Cultural Week, we must also be realistic and work on ironing out any differences that might hinder regional economic integration. Some say that a common regional time zone or currency might be tough to achieve in Asean but let us be objective and work on the bigger picture. The aim of having a common regional time zone or currency is to connect our peoples together seamlessly.

More fundamentally, connectivity is the key to us achieving regional economic integration. Looking back at the Asean Cultural Week, it can be said that our celebration of diversity was due to us coming together and fusing our cultures; in short, connecting.

Today, we pride ourselves on being in a borderless world yet we still have to wait for weeks for a parcel to arrive from any of our regional neighbours. To achieve our goals of integration, it cannot be discounted that connectivity is a key catalyst for our peoples. Achieve connectivity and we achieve integration.

JASMINE KHO MULU Group Asean Cultural Week Organiser