Asia must adapt to evolving challenges

LOOKING back at the inaugural Nikkei Future of Asia Conference nearly three decades ago, the World Trade Organisation had just been established, marking an era where the foundations of globalisation, multilateralism, and freer international trade seemed unshakable. Asia accounted for merely 28 per cent of global gross domestic product even as geopolitical and regional issues were becoming increasingly important to the world, but Asia was not yet seen as an engine of global growth, governance, and cooperation.