AIRLINK 217.98 Decreased By ▼ -4.91 (-2.2%)
BOP 10.93 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.02%)
CNERGY 7.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.13%)
FCCL 34.83 Decreased By ▼ -2.24 (-6.04%)
FFL 19.32 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.42%)
FLYNG 25.15 Decreased By ▼ -1.89 (-6.99%)
HUBC 131.09 Decreased By ▼ -1.55 (-1.17%)
HUMNL 14.56 Decreased By ▼ -0.17 (-1.15%)
KEL 5.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-4.07%)
KOSM 7.36 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-1.6%)
MLCF 45.63 Decreased By ▼ -2.55 (-5.29%)
OGDC 222.08 Decreased By ▼ -1.18 (-0.53%)
PACE 8.16 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.24%)
PAEL 44.19 Increased By ▲ 0.69 (1.59%)
PIAHCLA 17.69 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-2.05%)
PIBTL 8.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.1%)
POWERPS 12.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.50 (-3.84%)
PPL 193.01 Decreased By ▼ -5.23 (-2.64%)
PRL 43.17 Increased By ▲ 0.93 (2.2%)
PTC 26.63 Decreased By ▼ -0.76 (-2.77%)
SEARL 107.08 Decreased By ▼ -3.00 (-2.73%)
SILK 1.04 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.89%)
SSGC 45.00 Decreased By ▼ -2.30 (-4.86%)
SYM 21.19 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (2.02%)
TELE 10.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-3.52%)
TPLP 14.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-2.94%)
TRG 67.28 Decreased By ▼ -1.57 (-2.28%)
WAVESAPP 11.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.63 (-5.29%)
WTL 1.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-5.03%)
YOUW 4.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-2.3%)
AIRLINK 217.98 Decreased By ▼ -4.91 (-2.2%)
BOP 10.93 Increased By ▲ 0.11 (1.02%)
CNERGY 7.55 Decreased By ▼ -0.01 (-0.13%)
FCCL 34.83 Decreased By ▼ -2.24 (-6.04%)
FFL 19.32 Increased By ▲ 0.08 (0.42%)
FLYNG 25.15 Decreased By ▼ -1.89 (-6.99%)
HUBC 131.09 Decreased By ▼ -1.55 (-1.17%)
HUMNL 14.56 Decreased By ▼ -0.17 (-1.15%)
KEL 5.18 Decreased By ▼ -0.22 (-4.07%)
KOSM 7.36 Decreased By ▼ -0.12 (-1.6%)
MLCF 45.63 Decreased By ▼ -2.55 (-5.29%)
OGDC 222.08 Decreased By ▼ -1.18 (-0.53%)
PACE 8.16 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-0.24%)
PAEL 44.19 Increased By ▲ 0.69 (1.59%)
PIAHCLA 17.69 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-2.05%)
PIBTL 8.97 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-1.1%)
POWERPS 12.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.50 (-3.84%)
PPL 193.01 Decreased By ▼ -5.23 (-2.64%)
PRL 43.17 Increased By ▲ 0.93 (2.2%)
PTC 26.63 Decreased By ▼ -0.76 (-2.77%)
SEARL 107.08 Decreased By ▼ -3.00 (-2.73%)
SILK 1.04 Decreased By ▼ -0.02 (-1.89%)
SSGC 45.00 Decreased By ▼ -2.30 (-4.86%)
SYM 21.19 Increased By ▲ 0.42 (2.02%)
TELE 10.15 Decreased By ▼ -0.37 (-3.52%)
TPLP 14.51 Decreased By ▼ -0.44 (-2.94%)
TRG 67.28 Decreased By ▼ -1.57 (-2.28%)
WAVESAPP 11.29 Decreased By ▼ -0.63 (-5.29%)
WTL 1.70 Decreased By ▼ -0.09 (-5.03%)
YOUW 4.25 Decreased By ▼ -0.10 (-2.3%)
BR100 12,397 Increased By 33.3 (0.27%)
BR30 37,347 Decreased By -871.2 (-2.28%)
KSE100 117,587 Increased By 467.3 (0.4%)
KSE30 37,065 Increased By 128 (0.35%)

Southeast Asian leaders warned Wednesday of a widening gap between the booming region's richest and poorest nations that could threaten its ambitious drive for an EU-style single market. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam have recorded high growth rates but their per capita gross domestic product remains the lowest among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
"The danger of (a) widening development gap remains a major obstacle to Asean's future development, especially given the context of expanded Asean economic integration," Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said in opening remarks to an annual meeting of the bloc's trade and commerce ministers.
Emulating the European Union's example, Asean wants to establish by 2015 a single market and manufacturing base of about 600 million people - a goal that has been spurred by intensifying competition from China and India. The discrepancy between Asean's rich and poor members "is quite wide" and could undermine efforts to create the single market, Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan told reporters.
"A house divided by such a gap is not stable," he said. According to Asean statistics, GDP per capita in the bloc ranges from 419 dollars in Myanmar to more than 36,000 dollars in Singapore. Surin said the gulf within Asean had widened because some countries were better able to attract investment as the global economy recovered from the crisis, which struck in 2008.
"It has come up quite often at the highest level, of how to help bridge this gap," he said. The Vietnamese prime minister, who chaired the meeting, urged ministers to "work out concrete and robust measures" to create a more equitable Asean. But the bloc has been more focused on initiatives such as forging individual free trade deals and does not have the budgets or structures in place to address the issue, said Leon Perera, group managing director of Spire Research and Consulting in Singapore.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2010

Comments

Comments are closed.