East Asian economies need to deepen their integration through a common, comprehensive strategy as expectations grow that they will lead global growth in coming years, said the visiting top official of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
And Japan has a key role to play to ensure "better connectivity" among the diverse economies of East Asia — both in terms of infrastructure investment and improving the region's institutional framework, ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said.
Surin was speaking at a seminar in Tokyo on Thursday organized by the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and the Keizai Koho Center.