Malaysia, Thailand A Vital Bridge Between Asean, World: Vijay Eswaran

BANGKOK, June 25 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Thailand form a very essential bridge in bringing the 10 ASEAN member countries together in developing the bloc as a key global economic region, says a Malaysian entrepreneur and philanthropist. Speaking at the opening session of the 2019 ASEAN Community Leadership & Partnership Forum in Bangkok recently, QI group executive chairman Vijay Eswaran highlighted the importance of recognising the relationship between Malaysia and Thailand in progressing the region further economically. “We are so close yet so far apart. In order for ASEAN to work together, bridges must be built and walls brought down. Too many years of practice and tradition have kept us looking outward as opposed to inward. ASEAN must come together and make this a concerted effort in order to become a key global economic region. “Colonisation has divided us. We have legislation developed by those nations. It is important for us to get past these differences and come together to develop ASEAN as one common region, for the 10 nations of ASEAN by themselves singularly cannot match any of the top 10 economies of the world. But together we are might be reckoned with,” he said in a statement Tuesday. QI Group is a diversified multinational company with various businesses including education, hospitality, direct selling, financial services and retail across 30 countries, with key regional offices in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Vijay pointed out that ASEAN, in practice, has been colonised and developed by five different western powers. “It is not unusual for students in Indonesia to look towards Holland and students in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to opt for studies in France. We also have students from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei as well as Myanmar looking towards the United Kingdom for further studies, while many Filipino students ending up in the USA,” he said. Vijay said ASEAN must also recognise that we are living in an era of global change, strategically and economically. “Our operating environment is entering a new phase. Larger and newer forces, especially the millennials, are at work in shaping the region and the world. Global interdependence has increased, turning the world into one global village,” he said. He added that ASEAN is a key global economy but not yet a key digital economy, adding that digital integration is critical for the region to compete with other major economies. The two-day forum, themed “Building Partnerships for a Sustainable and Inclusive ASEAN”, brought together leaders from government and the business sector, academia, think tanks and civil society as well as young leaders and entrepreneurs and women to discuss the future challenges facing ASEAN in the new global era. The forum was held in conjunction with the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok. -- BERNAMA