ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan noted that the United States is a highly commercial nation with considerable trading interests passing through the South China Sea .
In an interview with VOA , ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan says the economic woes of the rest of the world will encourage more regional integration .
But Surin says the difference in the level of political and economic development in members like Burma and Singapore limits such plans in the short term .
但是素林说，东盟成员国家中，好像缅甸和新加坡之间的政治经济水平的不同，短期间局限了这项计划的推展。
Surin says he expects economic ministers in the region to focus on improving intra-ASEAN investment , to reduce trade barriers in Asia and become less dependent on exports to Japan and the West .
