Time for closer Asean integration

CROSS-BORDER growth initiatives, though often overlooked in news headlines, demand renewed attention amid the volatility and uncertainty caused by the global trade war initiated by President Donald Trump and China’s retaliatory measures. There is no better model for regional cooperation than in Asean, where there are three initiatives: the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle (IMS-GT), the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA). The IMS-GT and BIMP-EAGA were launched in 1994, while the IMT-GT was launched in 1993.

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