(VOVworld) - The 2012 World Economic Forum on East Asia will take place in Thailand with the theme “Shaping the Region’s Future through Connectivity”. Almost 600 delegates from 50 countries around the world including Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung will attend the 2 day meeting. Myanmar’s leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Aung San Suu Kyi has arrived in Bangkok to visit Thailand and attend the Forum.

Photo: www.nationmultimedia.com

The 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) together form an important strategic and economic region with a combined population of over 600 million. The bloc boasts a nominal GDP exceeding US$ 1.8 trillion, and a growth rate expected to pass 5% in 2012 despite the ongoing economic turmoil in the Eurozone and the United States. To achieve this in three years, stronger linkages across Southeast Asia are essential to ensure a competitive and integrated region.