Zuniega, Arlyn Nov.

17, 2017
BSACT3
ASEAN

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August

1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration)
by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and
Thailand. Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao
PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today
the ten Member States of ASEAN. As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes
of ASEAN are: To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in
the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to
strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian
Nations.
The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is the realisation of the region’s end goal of
economic integration. It envisions ASEAN as a single market and production base, a highly
competitive region, with equitable economic development, and fully integrated into the global
economy. The AEC is into promoting investment, ASEAN launched several projects such as the
ASEAN Investment Website which highlights the viability of the region as an investment
location, the ACIA Forum, and the publication of the annual ASEAN Investment Report, among
others. And, to achieve financial integration, ASEAN is constructing long-term infrastructures for
developing ASEAN capital market which will enhance market access, linkages, and liquidity.
As the Philippines has been the host country for ASEAN meeting, here are the highlights.
The stronger-than-expected communique, the sea code outline, the Chinese agenda for South
China Sea talks, the strong words of US, Australia, Japan on the South China Sea, ASEAN’s
strong rebuke of North Korea, the 'no' from North Korea, the human rights-less meeting between
Duterte, Tillerson, and the commitment against terror are the developments and topics that were
discussed at the ASEAN meeting. The Korean Peninsula and the South China Sea topped their
agenda for there is a sea code the affected countries are looking for especially the China. For
the issue about Korean Peninsula, Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said that his country would not
use its nuclear weapons on any country "except the US." He said that this would change only if
another country joined the Americans in an action against Pyongyang. He added that the North
was ready to give Washington "a severe lesson with its nuclear strategic force." He also said
that the responsibility over the tensions on the Korean Peninsula lies with Washington. The
meeting went well as the Philippines is hoping that everything have been discussed will turn to
actions and goes successfully.

www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/08/09/1726110/worlds-eyes-manila-what-happened-asean-m
eetings
http://investasean.asean.org/index.php/page/view/asean-economic-community/view/670/newsid
/755/about-aec.html
http://www.aunsec.org/historyofasean.php