The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to create a highly integrated regional economy by 2025. Known as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the initiative faces many obstacles that may hinder the achieving of its goal.

To understand the obstacles and opportunities, we speak to Dr Denis Hew. Currently Senior Research Fellow at the Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Dr Hew has served as Director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Policy Support Unit. He also spent time managing technical assistance programmes on regional cooperation and integration at the Asian Development Bank. Dr Hew has published extensively on policy issues related to economic integration in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region.