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Regional countries meet to accelerate ASEAN connectivity

Four ASEAN members, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, on April 25 will hold discussions on the ASEAN Connectivity Plan as part of the 22 nd ASEAN Summit to be held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei this week.
Four ASEAN members, including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and thePhilippines, on April 25 will hold discussions on the ASEAN ConnectivityPlan as part of the 22 nd ASEAN Summit to be held in Bandar SeriBegawan, Brunei this week.

According to a media statementreleased by the organisers, the programme, titled “the ninthBrunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippine East ASEAN Growth Area(BIMP-EAGA)”, attempts to improve economic integration between thecountries as part of the ASEAN effort to become a EU-like organisationby 2015.

Besides accelerating the implementation of existing andnew proposed projects, the ongoing works are also to enhance theoperational mechanism of BIMP-EAGA, the statement said.

Leadersof the four countries are expected to debate on accelerating theimplementation of the prioritised infrastructure projects in the region,especially in transportation, energy, trade and information technology.

Private Equity International magazine estimated that ASEAN willneed around 1 trillion USD in the next seven years to reach itsinfrastructure targets.-VNA
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