Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (above) said on Sunday Asia could be 'the continent of the future' but must first confront the challenges of rising demand for food, energy and water. -- PHOTO: AP
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Sunday Asia could be 'the continent of the future' but must first confront the challenges of rising demand for food, energy and water.
Speaking at the start of a two-day World Economic Forum on East Asia, an event drawing political leaders and industry chiefs from across the region, Mr Yudhoyono said Asia's growth will put it at the heart of the global economy.
'Asia, more than any other region, can help achieve a strong, sustainable and balanced world economy,' Mr Yudhoyono said.
'Asia certainly has the resources, opportunity and most importantly, confidence to shape the international system.' The forum - which is meeting under the banner of 'Responding to New Globalism' - aims to tackle critical issues facing the region including rising demand for resources and responding to natural disasters.
Mr Yudhoyono cautioned that continued growth could be compromised by competition for natural resources.
'Of the seven billion people that now inhabit our planet, 60 per cent live in Asia. As their economies grow, they will seek and compete for finite natural resources, a pattern that in previous centuries led to wars, conquest, exploitation and untold suffering,' Mr Yudhoyono added. -- AFP
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