Asean region is an economic force to be reckoned with

(from left): Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Datuk Paul Low, CNBC correspondent Adam Bakhtiar who moderated the discussion, Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi and former president of the Philippine Institute of Development Studies Josef T. Yap.

With a 600-million strong population which is twice that of the United States, more than 3,000 public listed companies and a gross domestic product (GDP) growing faster than the global average, it is a given that the Asean region is a force to be reckoned with and offers much growth potential.

Prof Kishore Mahbubani puts it well when he says that overall the Asean glass may be “half full but it is going to become more full in the days to come.”