Keeping Asia's growth engine on trackThis file photo, dated July 23, 2022, shows visitors hanging ribbons with messages calling for peace and reunification at a park near the DMZ, in Imjingak, South Korea. Strong domestic demand, rising middle classes, and rapid technological adoption continue to propel the region forward, cementing its role as the central driver of global economic growth. Geopolitical and geoeconomic pressures are accumulating in ways that threaten trade, investment, and regional stability. What were once treated as episodic shocks -- tariff disputes, political crises, or supply-chain disruptions -- are now hardening into structural challenges capable of reshaping Asia's economic trajectory. In this high-stakes environment, security and economic resilience are two sides of the same coin -- each indispensable to keeping Asia's growth engine from grinding to a halt.

Source: Bangkok Post February 27, 2026 18:05 UTC