ASEAN AT A GLANCE

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is a regional bloc that aims to accelerate economic growth and social progress through active collaboration and mutual assistance among the 10 member economies. Asean was established on Aug. 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the Asean declaration by the founding member states Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Other Southeast Asian countries followed suit: Brunei Darussalam on Jan. 7, 1984; Vietnam on July 28, 1995; Laos and Myanmar on July 23, 1997, and Cambodia on April 30, 1999.

Asean’s combined gross domestic product in 2015 stood at $2.5 trillion, making it the sixth-largest economy in the world and third-largest economy in Asia.

The regional bloc is projected to grow at 4.6 percent by the end of the year on the back of an improved economic climate and robust infrastructure investment.