There is no reason for the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) not to have its own variant of Sony or Samsung. Perhaps it is about time now for ASEAN to step up its economic integration strategy and create its own brand of products.

Afterall, the grouping is now the world’s sixth largest economy. Its total trade amounted to US$2.3 trillion (S$3.12 trillion) in 2015. Among the grouping’s policies include attracting investments from multinational companies outside the region, which is justifiable because Asean is predicted to be the world’s factory over the next 10 to 15 years.