EVERY day, the pulse of Asean’s economy beats through millions of transactions. A Malaysian entrepreneur imports furniture from China, a café in Thailand imports coffee beans from Vietnam, a Malaysian oil and gas firm exports refined petroleum to Singapore, people buy an array of goods from sellers in China, and not forgetting the significant population of migrant workers who remit funds to support their families.
This vibrant exchange is the lifeblood of our regional prosperity. Yet beneath this bustling surface lies a hidden friction – a "tax" of time, cost and complexity.
