As the trend of economic activities continues to shift from the West to the East, the onus is on ASEAN member states to attract funding in a way that serves Indo-Pacific integration, a forum of regional stakeholders hears.

Experts on the Indo-Pacific say that ASEAN should figure out how to integrate various schemes for infrastructure projects in its backyard, so it may improve its standing among regional players and attract those with deep pockets to the region.

Lee Ying Hui, a senior analyst for the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said that while there was still no specific data set that looked at the Indo-Pacific context, there was a growing demand for infrastructure in the region.

“We definitely see the demand for maritime trade to be very strong in the next decade,” she said during a seminar cohosted by the Foreign Ministry and Padang State University on Monday.