ASEAN is Asia's forgotten middle child. It is one of the world's fastest developing economic regions but too often its growth prospects are overshadowed by China and India.

ASEAN's 10 member states – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam – have a combined population exceeding 600 million, with a collective GDP of $US2.5 trillion ($3.3 trillion).