The need to enhance their economic relations with each other
has long been felt by developing countries. However, their efforts in
this regard have met with limited success. One of the reasons for this
could be that not much serious work has been done to understand the
complexities and possibilities of economic relations of developing
countries. The complementarities which exist among the economies of
these countries remain relatively unexplored. There is a lack of
concrete policy proposals which developing countries may follow to
achieve their often proclaimed objective of collective self-reliance.
All this needs serious and rigorous research efforts. In this
perspective, the present study can be considered as a step in the right
direction. It examines trade and other economic relations of developing
countries of two regions of Asia-South Asian countries and member
countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The
study also explores ways and means to improve economic relations among
these countries
