ASEAN comes of age

The ambitious agenda the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted in Cebu, the Philippines, on Saturday will hopefully transform the region.

It is moving the region faster towards a single market and reshaping the regional grouping of ASEAN to meet the demands of the 21st century.

Leaders of the 10 ASEAN member countries affirmed their strong commitment to accelerating the establishment of a free trade area by 2015.