Singapore calls for Asian Union

A minister from Singapore has called for an Asian version of the European Union, saying that a regional approach is necessary to meet the challenges of an increasingly technological world.

Singapore's Information minister Yeo Cheow Tong said that it was crucial for Asia to find regional solutions to regional problems, such as narrowing the digital gap in the region, stemming the loss of Asian talent to other parts of the world and facilitating international trade and electronic commerce.

Mr Yeo said that Asia may not wish to follow the same brand of regionalism as the European Union, but that it could not afford not to start working on a model of its own.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service