Regional economic associations, inspired by the European Union are increasingly seen as necessary for the achievement of economic security in a multipolar context of global interdependence. In Asia, ASEAN and SAARC are the most significant international groupings of this type and in recent years have come mutually closer while increasing their influence, in the realms of trade, cooperation for development and financial policies. However the member states of both associations are wary of unmitigated trade liberalisation and are reluctant to intervene in each other's internal affairs.
