The Association of Southeast Asian Nations must “act boldly” to accelerate regional economic integration as sweeping US tariffs leave much of the world caught in the middle of a devastating trade war, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said Wednesday, according to the report of Philippine media “Inquirer.”

“To remain relevant and resilient in a world where economic chaos is fast becoming the new normal, we must act boldly, decisively, and together to reaffirm Asean’s commitment to a stable, predictable, and business-friendly environment,” Kao Kim Hourn was speaking on the eve of a meeting of Asean economic and finance ministers as well as central bank governors in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur to discuss how to respond to the US tariffs.

“Without urgent and collective action to accelerate intra-Asean economic integration and diversify our markets and partnerships, we risk ceding our place in a fractured and fast-evolving global economy,” Kao stressed.

(Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer)