Asean spirited to be world's new economic powerhouse, say region's leaders

(From left): Brunei's Minister of Finance and Economy Amin Liew Abdullah, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, President of Asian Development Bank (ADB) Masatsugu Asakawa, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Philippine's President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, Malaysia's Minister of Economy Rafizi Ramli and Philippines Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Maria Belen Acosta hold hands as they pose for a photo during Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) summit on the sidelines of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, Thursday, May 11, 2023. - AP

LABUAN BAJO (Indonesia), May 13 (Bernama-Xinhua): The Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) demonstrated its confidence in becoming the world's new economic powerhouse, reflected at a summit held this week in the Indonesian town of Labuan Bajo.

This year's 42nd Asean Summit under Indonesia's Asean chairmanship is themed "Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth".