ASEAN+NORTHEAST ASIAN COUNTRIES CAN COUNTER THE WEST, SAYS DR M

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- Asean needs to work closely with
Northeast Asian countries, as they are a more powerful grouping, in facing challenges coming from the dominant Western countries, especially in the trading sector, said former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said since Asean was largely made up of poor countries, by working
closely with Northeast Asia which encompasses China, South Korea and Japan,
Asean could be a powerful group too.

"These countries of Northeast Asia can challenge the dominance of the
Western countries in international trade," he said when delivering a talk titled
"Asean:Present and Future Challenges" at the one-day Asean Logics Conference
2010 organised by the International Islamic University, Malaysia at its campus
here Tuesday.

Dr Mahathir said Asean should also come out with new ideas that can be
accepted by other countries to compete with the Western countries.

"Every idea comes from the West. We also should come out with new ideas and
what we suggest should be accepted by others so that we can compete with the
advanced countries," he added.

-- BERNAMA