Southeast Asian Countries
With Thailand’s ratification, all ten ASEAN countries have now ratified the treaty. In the Maldives, GDP growth has been driven by strong tourism, especially from Europe, China, and India. In fact, European guests accounted for about half of arrivals and grew by 16.5% in 2019. Over the past few years, South Asia has sustained a period of robust growth that has lifted up many living in poverty, and made notable strides in health and education. In fact, the World Bankreports that between 2013 and 2016, growth in South Asian countries increased from 6.2% to 7.5% while growth rates of otherdeveloping nationsremained flat or even turned negative. In the coming years, the World Bank expects countries in South Asia to continue this growth trajectory, estimated at 6.3 percent in 2020 and 6.7 percent in 2021. These countries did not have any official channels for seeking mutual understanding with China, including the establishment of diplomatic relations. While fearing that guerrilla activit