China’s labor costs have been steadily rising over the years, becoming almost aligned with US costs.
ASEAN is therefore becoming increasingly popular as a manufacturing center and a constant presence in the global.
Southeast Asia faces a series of obstacles on its road to achieving full economic integration, comparable to the EU-which nonetheless remains, since the beginning the model ASEAN is constantly striving towards.
Another issue is the lack of infrastructure. Transportation costs can represent a formidable obstacle in some of the most promising countries for offshoring.
Furthermore, there are huge differences in terms of political systems, religions and languages, making agreements difficult to reach.