ASEAN needs a blueprint to ensure economic growth and to make it an attractive investment market, ASEAN secretary-general designate Surin Pitsuwan said in Kuala Lumpur, local media reported on Tuesday.
"We need a new blueprint to integrate these economies and open up (intra) trade further from the current 20 percent up to between30 and 40 percent," he said when addressing the fifth Asia Congress here on Monday.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was set up in 1967 and it now has 10 member countries.
"After 10 years of an ASEAN Plus 3 grouping, the leaders must look to consolidating otherwise it (the grouping) will not be viable in the globalized competition scene," the New Straits Times quoted Surin as saying.
With a combined gross domestic product of 1.07 trillion U.S. dollars versus China's 2 trillion U.S. dollars and India's 800 billion U.S. dollars, the regional group needs to regain its balance.
Surin stressed the need to energize the 560 million people in the region.
"We need to look at the issue of governance and equity and our growth more inclusive so that people will feel the fruits of growth," he said.
Surin said that the secretariat management should from now on adopt a "networked" approach as its guiding principle so as to be able to be relevant to the people.
Surin, a former foreign minister of Thailand, was formally appointed as the secretary-general of ASEAN from 2008-2012.
ASEAN leaders agreed to the appointment of Surin, who was nominated by Thailand, during the 13th ASEAN Summit in Singapore on Nov. 20, 2007.
Surin will succeed Ong Keng Yong, a Singaporean, whose 5-year term will end on Dec. 31, 2007.
Source: Xinhua
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