Asean's long journey towards integration doesn't end on Dec 31

THERE are just a little over ten weeks to go before Asean, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, reaches a historical milestone on Dec 31.

That is the day when the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is officially inaugurated, an ambitious project more than 11 years in the making to integrate this bustling region into a single market and production base.

From a business point of view, the AEC makes perfect sense as an economically unified Asean would bring about new growth and opportunities for both regional and foreign investors. The 10-member Asean bloc groups Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, the Philippines and Myanmar.