Kuala Lumpur, June 14 -- ASEAN could emerge as the world's fourth-largest economy in the coming decades but the regional bloc must accelerate integration, strengthen institutions, and adapt to global shifts to realise this potential, experts have said.

Mohd Munir Abdul Majid, Chairman of CARI ASEAN Research and Advocacy, said ASEAN, with an economic size of 3.8 trillion USD, could become the fourth-largest economy, particularly artificial intelligence (AI) in the services sector -- will drive future growth.

ASEAN has progressed based on consensus to deepen integration and free trade, he noted.

The ASEAN Free Trade Area was formed in 1992, followed by the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The most recent direction for...