ASEAN's GDP remains significantly lower than that of the EU, even when combined with Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
Such is only true in the present....
EU had long been a civilized entity, while the countries in present ASEAN had fellow Humans living in a veritable paradise - they had everything they needed - food, water, huge and I mean huge land tracts for farming and agricultural. There was enough for everyone and more, thus they lived in peace, with little need for the foolish Nobel prize aspirations....
As EU has the upper hand in progress and evolution, as necessity is the mother of invention, they saw innovations in social and economic aspirations that uplifted lives, even with little resources of the own, to seek peaceful trade to better the lives of everyone whom lived there.
Thus, as centuries go by, they amassed wealth for social and economic uplifting, while those in SE Asia were happy with their own paradise. Although colonialism did happened, colonials did leave a legacy of the Rule of Law and education in the country they ruled over, and SE Asians took such opportunities to learn and progress.
There are 27 European nations in EU. In ASEAN, there are only 11 nations, but growing,.. thus it is not an apple to apple comparison of WHAT ASEAN is today, BUT it can surpassed the evaluation of such comparisons in the next few years or decades, as the HARDWORKING People of ASEAN realizes the opportunities that peace, trade, rule of law, education, innovations, can help to UPLIFT lives, more so when S.E. Asia is FILLED with lush fertile valleys for agriculture and mineral resources YET to be tapped....
It will be love, for each other and not the dictates of hate ideologies, that will uplift lives to see progress and evolution.....
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