The Asia-Pacific needs to "act together to develop together" by strengthening cross-border connections to bolster resilience and inclusive growth, says Asian Development Bank President Masato Kanda.

"The decisions we make at this new crossroads will secure the future for the next generation," Kanda told the opening session of the bank's 59th annual meeting on Monday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

"In this fragmented world, traditional and isolated development responses will fail. To survive and thrive in this new era, we must build deeply connected and resilient systems," he said, adding that shocks today travel rapidly across borders and hit communities that are least able to absorb them.

READ MORE: ADB pledges $70b to boost energy, digital connectivity in Asia-Pacific

To address these challenges, the ADB pledged on Sunday to back $70 billion by 2035 for new energy and digital infrastructure, aiming to build regional systems that will strengthen shared security and resilience in the Asia-Pacific.

"Energy and digital access will define the region's future," Kanda said, announcing the launch of the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway.

"By linking power grids and digital networks across borders, we can lower costs, expand opportunity and bring reliable power and digital access to hundreds of millions of people," he said.

The $50 billion power grid initiative will link national and subregional grids, allowing renewable energy to flow across borders. The $20 billion digital highway program aims to narrow infrastructure gaps and support AI-driven growth.

The power grid plan marks a shift from country-to-country links to a regional power market. By 2035, the ADB aims to integrate about 20 gigawatts of renewable energy across borders, connect 22,000 circuit-kilometers of transmission lines, improve energy access for 200 million people, create 840,000 jobs, and cut regional power-sector emissions by 15 percent.

The digital highway initiative aims to provide first-time broadband access to 200 million people and faster, more reliable digital connectivity for another 450 million by 2035. It is expected to cut connectivity costs in remote and landlocked areas by about 40 percent and help create 4 million jobs.

Economic impact

Also in Samarkand, finance ministers and central bank governors from ASEAN+3 met on Sunday, discussing the economic impact of the Middle East situation and underscoring the need for stronger regional unity.

ASEAN+3 comprises member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and their three East Asian dialogue partners — China, South Korea and Japan.

"ASEAN+3 entered 2026 from a position of relative strength …however, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East has amplified downside risks to the regional outlook significantly," said a statement released after the meeting.

ALSO READ: Energy costs fuel inflation worries in Southeast Asia

With growth expected to moderate and inflation to rise, finance leaders underscored the importance of upholding multilateralism and strengthening regional unity and cooperation in addressing shared challenges.

At a sideline event, Yasuto Watanabe, director and CEO of the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, said the region has become more interconnected, with deeper integration and stronger regional demand. It now accounts for 28 percent of global demand, making ASEAN+3 the world's largest market, he said.

"Today, we are navigating what many describe as 'changes unseen in a century'," he said, noting heightened global uncertainty and growing structural challenges.