22/10/2019

THE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST

ASIAN NATIONS

1. History of ASEAN
2. Characteristics of ASEAN
3. Stages of ASEAN expansion
4. ASEAN’s political achievements
5. ASEAN’s economic achievements
6. Some problems faced by ASEAN

HISTORY OF ASEAN

⚫ Formed in August 1967

⚫ Formed after Indonesian government change
⚫ Formed after Indonesian Confrontation
⚫ Initially lethargic and members suspicious
⚫ Growth paralleled developments in Indochina
⚫ Began with 5 countries as members

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CHARACTERISTICS OF ASEAN

⚫ Generally pro-Western orientation

⚫ Tried to influence Southeast Asian politics
⚫ Aims to house entire region in community
⚫ Emphasizes accommodation and separation
⚫ Interested in peaceful resolution of conflict
⚫ Culture of non-interference in other countries

STAGES OF ASEAN EXPANSION

1967 – 5 countries as original members

(Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and
the Philippines)
1984 – Brunei joins as 6th member
1995 – Vietnam joins as 7th member
1997 – Laos and Myanmar join ASEAN
1999 – Cambodia joins as last member

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⚫ As of 2010, the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN) has 10 member
states, one candidate member state, and one
observer state. ASEAN was founded on 8
August 1967 with five members: Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and
Thailand.
⚫ * Papua New Guinea has special observer
status

Who are the 10 Asean countries?

Membership. 10 States ―
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam.
1 Observer – Papua New Guinea.

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ASEAN’S POLITICAL
ACHIEVEMENTS
U.N. support for
ZOPFAN Democratic Kampuchea
Treaty of Amity and government
Cooperation Formation of “ASEAN
Treaty of Amity and Plus Three”
Cooperation
Treaty of ASEAN
Concord

Declaration of Zone of Peace Freedom

and Neutrality (ZOPFAN)

1. 1971 –The Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality

(ZOPFAN) is a declaration signed by the Foreign
Ministers of the ASEAN member states (Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) on
1971 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
⚫ In the declaration, the parties publicly stated their intent
to keep South East Asia "free from any form or manner
of interference by outside Powers" and "broaden the
areas of cooperation."

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2. 1976 – Establishment of Jakarta

Secretariat

⚫ The ASEAN Secretariat was set up in February 1976 by

the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN. It was then housed at
the Department of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia in
Jakarta. The existing ASEAN Secretariat at 70A Jalan
Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta was established and
officiated in 1981 by the then President of Indonesia,
H.E. Soeharto.

⚫ The ASEAN Secretariat’s basic function is to

provide for greater efficiency in the
coordination of ASEAN organs and for more
effective implementation of ASEAN projects
and activities

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3. 1976 – Treaty of Amity and

Cooperation

⚫ Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in

Southeast Asia (TAC) is a peace treaty
among Southeast Asian countries
established by the founding members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), a geo-political and economic
organisation of 10 countries located in
Southeast Asia.

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4. 1976 – Treaty of ASEAN Concord

Concord, Bali, Indonesia, 24 February 1976

⚫ The President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Prime Minister of

Malaysia, the President of the Republic of the Philippines, the
Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore and the Prime
Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand :
⚫ REAFFIRM their commitment to the Declarations of Bandung,
Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, and the Charter of the United
Nations;

(For further information: http://asean.org/?static_post=declaration-of-asean-concord-indonesia-24-february-1976)

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⚫ ENDEAVOUR to promote peace, progress,

prosperity and the welfare of the peoples of
member states;
⚫ UNDERTAKE to consolidate the
achievements of ASEAN and expand ASEAN
cooperation in the economic, social, cultural
and political fields;

(For further information: http://asean.org/?static_post=declaration-of-

asean-concord-indonesia-24-february-1976)

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5. 1979 – U.N. support for

Democratic Kampuchea government

⚫ After 27 years of international amnesia over bringing the

Khmer Rouge to justice, and following six years of intense
negotiations between the United Nations and the
Government of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge tribunal,
officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts
of Cambodia (ECCC), was established in 2006. The tribunal
is a UN-assisted national court, with international
participation of prosecutors and judges.

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5. 1979 – U.N. support for

Democratic Kampuchea government

⚫ On 7 January 1979, the Vietnamese army, together with a

small group of Cambodian rebels, overthrew the genocidal
regime, ending the; year-long nightmare of the Cambodian
people. Suddenly, the Khmer Rouge's unspeakable atrocities
were revealed and had generated an outcry echoed
throughout the world. Demands for justice were voiced
everywhere by journalists and civil society. However, the
liberation of the country from these horrors did not end the
suffering of the people.

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⚫ Instead, the international outcry against the Khmer Rouge in

the United Nations corridors in New York was muffled by
diplomatic maneuverings. Incredibly, big power machinations
awarded Cambodia's contested seat in the United Nations to
the regime of Pol Pot, now exiled on the Thai border, rather
than to the People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK), which later
gained de facto control of the country.

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⚫ This travesty continued until 1991, long after

a regime change in Phnom Penh had been
accomplished. PRK was isolated politically
and economically, although the former Soviet
Union and its allies, including a number of
non-aligned countries, notably India,
continued to support and recognize it, but
were outvoted in the General Assembly.

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6. 1982 – Formation of CGDK

(Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea)

⚫ The establishment of the tripartite Coalition Government

of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) in June 1982 was a
significant achievement for the resistance groups, which
had quarreled bitterly throughout the negotiations that
led to unity.

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6. 1982 – Formation of CGDK

(Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea)

⚫ Following its founding, the CGDK became the center

of the anti-Vietnamese cause, served as the country's
lawful spokesman in international forums, and
demonstrated a credible capacity for bringing the
Cambodian conflict to a political and military
stalemate. In the late 1980s, this stalemate renewed
multilateral interest in a settlement of the Cambodian
question.

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ASEAN’S POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS (2)

1. 1988 – Jakarta Informal Meetings 1 & 2-

ASEAN Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution:
The Cambodian Case

➢ Thai Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanond pointed out, were

making efforts “to mitigate their international rivalries in order
to turn to economic expansion” 1 and felt the need to pursue
a “policy of cooperation” instead of a “policy of
confrontation”.

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ASEAN’S POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS (2)

1. 1988 – Jakarta Informal Meetings 1 & 2-

ASEAN Diplomacy in Conflict Resolution:
The Cambodian Case
➢ The impact of this was seen in the adoption of a flexible attitude towards
regional conflicts. Especially, the suppleness of Gorbachev’s peace
initiatives paved the way for the “USSR-PRC rapprochement”, which in
turn fostered a new geo-political calculus in Indochina and pressurised
Hanoi to work for an early resolution of the Cambodian problem by
withdrawing its troops from Cambodia.

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➢ The PRC could not but soften its attitude and prevail upon its
protege Khmer Rouge, to extend its cooperation in the peace
process. For want of an alternative, the Khmer Rouge, hitherto
preoccupied with the policy of “bleeding Vietnam white” so that

Hanoi “will meet its Vietnam” in Kampuchea, consented to

taking part in the ‘Cocktail Pary’ 2 which was also called
Jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM). Nonetheless, Hun Sen had
pointed out the inherent difficulty in contemplating peace after
excessive bloodshed.

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⚫ Indonesia was involved in advanced talks in

Cambodia during the late 1980s. Known as
the Jakarta Informal Meeting, Indonesia was
trying to help put an end to Vietnam’s
invasion of Cambodia, in what some
observers called the Third Indochina War
(1978-91).

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2. 1989-93 – Involvement in
Cambodian peace settlement

This simulation seeks to deepen understanding of how

societies in conflict must confront issues of war crimes and
human rights violations. Participants role-play negotiators at a
peace settlement conference, where, due to international
pressure, the Cambodian government has agreed to
negotiate with opposition leaders over implementation of a
peace settlement and past accountability for genocide and
war crimes. Other participants will role-play a task force
established to work out recommendations for the negotiators
on how to proceed with the war crimes and human rights
issues.

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3. 1989 – Collective membership in

APEC

⚫ ASEAN membership to APEC is one big step. The aim for ONE
VISION ONE IDENTITY ONE COMMUNITY has also led to a
collective membership in APEC that further strengthened the East
Asian Economic Growth.
⚫ Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) operates as a
cooperative, multilateral economic and trade forum. It is the only
international intergovernmental grouping in the world committed to
reducing barriers to trade and investment without requiring its
members to enter into legally binding obligations.

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3. 1989 – Collective membership in

APEC

⚫ The Bogor Goals help APEC's goal to enhance economic

growth and prosperity for the regions by striving for free and
open trade and investment in Asia-Pacific by 2010 for
industrialized economies and 2020 for developing economies.
For which ASEAN countries will benefit more.

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4. 1994 – Formation of ASEAN

Regional Forum

⚫ The ASEAN Regional Forum ( ARF ) is an important

forum for security dialogue in Asia. It draws together 27
members which have a bearing on the security of the
Asia Pacific region.
⚫ A conventional explanation for the establishment of the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) holds that it was an
attempt on the part of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) to maintain US military
engagement in Asia while tactically promoting
cooperative relations with China in the post-Cold War
era.

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5. 1998 – Formation of “ASEAN Plus

Three”

ASEAN+3 includes the 10 members of

the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic
Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and
Viet Nam) plus the PRC , Japan, and
Korea.

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ASEAN’S
ECONOMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS

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Continuation of Preferential Tariffs

(CEPT)

⚫ The CEPT is the mechanism by which tariffs on goods traded

within the ASEAN region, which meet a 40% ASEAN content
requirement, will be reduced to 0-5% by the year 2002/2003
(2006 for Vietnam, 2008 for Laos and Myanmar, and 2010 for
Cambodia).
⚫ The tariff reductions are moving ahead on both the "fast" and
"normal" tracks. Tariffs on goods in the fast track were largely
reduced to 0-5% by 2000. Tariffs on goods in the normal track
will be reduced to this level by 2002, or 2003 for a small
number of products. Currently, about 81% of ASEAN's tariff
lines are covered by either the fast or normal track.

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Common lobbying platform

⚫ The aim for effective and efficient cooperation is not a

merely administrative need. In many ways, it is to
help create the possibilities of finding a common
ASEAN position and voice – with less time and cost
in political will. In this regard, even as meetings of
ASEAN members states officials and from the
Secretariat need greater efficiency and focus, there is
a need at the other end of the spectrum for more
open dialogue in ASEAN.

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Regularized dialogue partnerships

⚫ ASEAN Plus Three was the first of attempts for further integration to
improve existing ties with China, Japan, and South Korea. This was
followed by the even larger East Asia Summit (EAS), which
included ASEAN Plus Three as well as India, Australia, and New
Zealand. This group acted as a prerequisite for the planned East
Asia Community which was supposedly patterned after the now-
defunct European Community.
⚫ The ASEAN Eminent Persons Group was created to study the
possible successes and failures of this policy. In 2006, ASEAN was
given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly.[51] In
response, the organization awarded the status of "dialogue partner"
to the UN.[52]

(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_Southeast_Asian_Nations)

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Group membership in APEC

⚫ ASEAN membership to APEC is one big

step. The aim for ONE VISION ONE
IDENTITY ONE COMMUNITY has also led to
a collective membership in APEC that further
strengthened the East Asian Economic
Growth.
⚫ Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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Formation of ASEAN Free Trade

Area

⚫ ASEAN leaders agree to create an ASEAN

Free Trade Area - Singapore History.
⚫ The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is a
trade bloc agreement among the six original
members of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore and Thailand.

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Negotiation of Free Trade

arrangements

⚫ Apart from the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) between

ASEAN member states, the regional trade bloc has signed
several FTAs with some of the major economies in the Asia-
Pacific region. These include the ASEAN-Australia-New
Zealand FTA (AANZFTA), the ASEAN-China FTA (ACFTA), the
ASEAN-India FTA (AIFTA), the ASEAN-Korea FTA (AKFTA),
and the ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(AJCEP).

(Source: https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/2017/12/07/aseans-free-trade-agreements-an-overview.html)

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Negotiation of Free Trade

arrangements

⚫ The aim of these FTAs is to encourage and promote

businesses of all sizes in ASEAN to trade regionally as well as
internationally without tariff barriers. Businesses with operations
in ASEAN can use the FTAs to gain easy access to new export
markets for their products at low costs, and benefit from
simplified export and import procedures.

(Source: https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/2017/12/07/aseans-free-trade-agreements-an-overview.html)

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Chiangmai currency swap

arrangements

⚫ Chiang Mai Agreement, also called Chiang Mai

Initiative, set of bilateral currency-swap
arrangements established at Chiang Mai, Thailand, in
May 2000 by the members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with the addition
of Japan, China, and South Korea (collectively
referred to as ASEAN+3).

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Chiangmai currency swap

arrangements

⚫ The agreement was meant to complement the International Monetary

Fund (IMF) by providing emergency infusions of foreign currency to
member countries suffering from liquidity crises.
⚫ It also established a mechanism for monitoring capital flows and
economic conditions through regular contacts between financial
authorities in the region. Created in the wake of the 1997–98 Asian
financial crisis, the agreement presents an important example of
financial cooperation in the region.
⚫ The swap system comprises two main components: an expanded
ASEAN Swap Arrangement and a network of bilateral swap and
repurchase agreements.

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PROBLEMS FACED BY ASEAN (1)

⚫ Evolved in relation to Cold war

⚫ Traditionally reactive to Indochinese devts.
⚫ Suspicion and competition between
members has continued
⚫ Indonesia sometimes unable to lead
⚫ Non-interference rule creates instability
⚫ Countries at different levels of development

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PROBLEMS FACED BY ASEAN (2)

⚫ Difficulties of consensual decision-making

⚫ Similar products and export markets
⚫ Subjected to larger external pulls
⚫ Small ness in international arena
⚫ Introversion of states during crises

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