KUALA LUMPUR: Asean member states have been urged to accelerate integration to achieve the region’s goal of becoming the world’s fourth-largest economy by 2030.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that regional connectivity, linking Asean member states’ research centres, technology clusters, start-up communities and regulatory systems, was a financial necessity.
“The next decade will belong to regions that can integrate, not just innovate.
“When our laboratories share knowledge, when our digital infrastructure is seamlessly connected, when our regulations align, and when our talent moves freely, we will eventually create an ecosystem that multiplies value rather than fragments it,” he said during his keynote speech during the launch of Cyberjaya Conversation Summit 2025 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here, on Wednesday (Dec 3).
Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn was also present at the summit launch.
Meanwhile, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang said Malaysia was among the world’s top 10 exporters of high-tech goods, with over USD127bil (RM523.8bil) in exports last year.
“It is proof that our innovation economy is gaining global ground. As Asean moves beyond 2025, we must innovate with purpose and partnership, turning science into solutions; technology into shared prosperity; and collaboration into a common Asean future.
