Manila, Sept. 19 -- Closer cooperation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in removing digital barriers will give way to the bloc's full potential.

During the opening of the business dialogue on ASEAN's Digital Economy in Pasay City on Saturday, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque stressed the importance of sustained collaboration in achieving a "seamless, fully integrated regional digital economy."

Roque noted that the ASEAN Digital Framework Agreement (DEFA), expected to be signed in November, would help double the region's digital economy to USD2 trillion by 2030.

"So, we need to push and we need to collaborate and we really need to work together as ASEAN, as a bloc," she said....