Concluding day of World Economic Forum on East Asia
16 Jun '06
3 min read
East Asian integration has been "market driven," Mari Pangestu, Minister of Trade of Indonesia, agreed. An outward-looking development approach has led to the proliferation of trade and investment links within the region and across the world. That openness should continue, Douglas K. Bereuter, President, The Asia Foundation, USA, argued.
"An East Asian community is more aspirational. But it is a very positive aspiration as long as it is not exclusionary." He agreed that what is underpinning East Asian integration is the "thickening web" of connections created by exchanges and cooperation among NGOs and other non-state actors.
Still, governments have a role to play, Najib Tun Razak, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, reckoned. The "bottom-up" approach should not prevent East Asia from tackling common problems such as maritime security. The region must pursue integration with clarity, unimpeded by past enmities. "There must be clarity in our strategic thinking," Najib concluded. "We must look at the big picture and not let the baggage of history deter us."
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