Master Plan on ASEAN
Connectivity 2025 –
Opportunities for Engineers
By Lim Tau Wee
T
he word “connectivity” seems to be the
buzzword of major global conventions for
the new economic order of this millennium.
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC)
leaders in 2013 declared the APEC CONNECTIVITY
BLUEPRINT 2015-2025 with aspirations to reach
a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and
integrated Asia-Pacific through the three pillars of
connectivity, i.e. Physical Connectivity, Institutional
Connectivity and People-to-People Connectivity.
The Belt and Road Forum for International
Co-operation in Beijing on May 14, 2017 focused
on the five areas of connectivity, i.e. Policy
Connectivity, Infrastructure Connectivity, Trade
Connectivity, Financial Connectivity and People-to-
People Connectivity. An observer commented that
the Belt and Road Initiative offers the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a golden
opportunity to co-operate using complementary
capabilities across countries.
For the ASEAN Community, the Master Plan on
ASEAN
Connectivity 2010 was replaced with the
ASEAN
A COMMUNITY
Master
OF Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC
OPPORTUNITIES
2025) when ASEAN leaders met in Vientiane,
Laos in 2016. It focuses on five strategic areas:
sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation,
seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and
population mobility.
Taking cognisance of the significance of
the mechanism of connectivity in the current
economic order, it will be of interest to the
engineering fraternity to understand the elements
of MPAC 2025 that are related to them.
MASTER PLAN ON
ASEAN CONNECTIVITY 2025
ASEAN
@ASEAN
www.asean.org
one vision
one identity
one community
Vision, Objectives and Initiatives for
ASEAN Connectivity 2025
The vision for ASEAN Connectivity 2025 is to
achieve a seamlessly and comprehensively
connected and integrated ASEAN that will
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