Japan is stepping up an economic charm offensive in Southeast Asia in the latest sign of rival efforts by leading powers to profit from the single market soon to be launched in the populous region.
A senior official from the foreign ministry in Tokyo will fly to Cambodia and Laos this week, seeking to expand ties in two countries that are also cornerstones of China’s drive to deepen trade ties.
Analysts say the battle for sway is likely to become more intense, as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations presses on with plans for closer economic union at the end of this year for its 10 countries and their combined population of more than half a billion.
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