ASEAN

Official Name:
Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Editor's note: The information in this article has been compiled and edited from the 1992 and 2001 ASEAN Background Notes and Fact Sheets made available in 2001, 2002, and 2005 from the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Department of State.

PROFILE

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to promote political and economic cooperation and regional stability. U.S. relations with ASEAN have been excellent since its inception.

The ASEAN chairmanship rotates annually on an alphabetical basis. The current chair is Vietnam.

The ASEAN Declaration in 1976, considered ASEAN's foundation document, formalized the principles of peace and cooperation to which ASEAN is dedicated.

Brunei joined in 1984, shortly after its independence from the United Kingdom, and Vietnam joined ASEAN as its seventh member in 1995. Laos and Burma were admitted into full membership in July 1997 as ASEAN celebrated its 30th anniversary. Cambodia became ASEAN's tenth member in 1999.

The Association commands far greater influence on Asia-Pacific trade, political, and security issues than its members could achieve individually. ASEAN's success has been based largely on its use of consultation, consensus, and cooperation.

ASEAN took the first steps toward an ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1993, when it agreed to eliminate most tariffs on manufactured goods between members over the following decade.

Every year following the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July, ASEAN holds its Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC), where it meets with its ten Dialogue Partners. These are Australia, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. The Secretary participated in the July 2000 meeting in Bangkok.

In 1994, ASEAN took the lead in establishing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which now has 23 members and meets each year at the ministerial level just before the PMC. The ARF is the only region-wide governmental security forum. Its goal is to promote regional stability and peace, and it is now looking at the overlap between confidence building measures, where it has been active, and preventive diplomacy.

GEOGRAPHY

Located in Southeast Asia on the Malay Peninsula and the islands to the south and east in the South China Sea, the ten ASEAN states adjoin some of the most important sea lanes in the world. The ASEAN states lie astride the Equator and extend from roughly 1,600 kilometers (1,000 mi.) north to 800 kilometers (500 mi.) south.

HISTORY

ASEAN was founded officially on August 8, 1967, with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration by the foreign ministers of the original five members. The organization was created to strengthen regional cohesion and self-reliance through economic, social, and cultural cooperation. It developed slowly during its first decade, partly because of diverse economic interests, varied historical experience, and the initially fragile political ties among the five original states.

Brunei Darussalam, formerly a British protectorate, joined ASEAN as its sixth member state in January 1984, shortly after attainment of full independence.

To curb external interference, in 1971 the ASEAN nations set as their goal the establishment of a zone of peace, freedom, and neutrality (ZOPFAN) for Southeast Asia, and this was included in the Bali Declaration signed by the ASEAN heads of government in 1976. This concept remains a long-term objective. The fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975 led to a new phase of ASEAN relations.

In 1976, the first ASEAN summit conference was convened in Bali, Indonesia, and collaboration among ASEAN states took a major step forward with the signing of the Declaration of ASEAN Concord. Aimed at promoting cooperative activities in industry, trade, and other fields, this declaration remains the major "constitutional base" for ASEAN cooperation. It also authorized the formation of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta.

Growing Cooperation

The Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, starting in December 1978, played a key role in furthering ASEAN collaboration. During the 1980s, the ASEAN nations successfully managed passage of yearly UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an end to Vietnamese occupation and were instrumental in the 1991 peace settlement in Cambodia. These accomplishments and the political cooperation thus fostered have been ASEAN's major political achievements.

Diverse economic interests and levels of development have limited the extent of economic cooperation between member nations. However, the collapse of international commodity prices in the mid-1980s and the subsequent downturn in the economies of several ASEAN nations spurred regional leaders to initiate serious economic reforms and trade liberalization plans. The December 1987 ASEAN summit gave new impetus to reducing internal trade barriers and establishing joint industrial projects; it also fostered closer coordination on economic issues by ASEAN governments, particularly in international forums. The 1989 creation of APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, an informal economic grouping of the U.S., Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and ASEAN, which expanded in 1991 to include the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong) has provided an additional important venue in which ASEAN representatives can meet and discuss issues of broader regional importance. ASEAN economic ministers in 1991 agreed to move toward an ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). The decision to create AFTA was taken by ASEAN heads of government at the fourth ASEAN summit in January 1992.

INSTITUTIONS

Since its inception, ASEAN gradually has developed a number of formal, regular consultative meetings and committees, but it has only a very limited permanent structure. Decisions are made by consensus and often are achieved through informal, ad hoc consultations. However, there are several formal bodies that consult and make decisions on various common issues.

Foreign Ministers' Meetings

The periodic meetings of the six foreign ministers constitute the principal decision-making body for ASEAN. In addition to their regular annual sessions in June or July, the foreign ministers gather on other occasions as needed. The venue of the ministerial meetings rotates annually among the six countries.

The foreign ministers' meetings have assumed a prominent role partially as a result of events in Indochina. Recognizing the importance of a unified front on the Cambodia question, ASEAN has used the foreign ministers' consultations to reaffirm their common stand. Periodic meetings of senior officials plan for and supplement the work of the foreign ministers. In addition, an ASEAN Standing Committee, composed of ambassadors resident in the venue of the ministerial meeting and chaired by the foreign minister of the host country, meets as needed.

Economic Ministers' Meetings

The economic ministers usually meet twice a year to discuss common approaches to economic questions and to review cooperative programs. Decisions on economic questions are then referred to the foreign ministers or heads of government for final approval. Various sectoral committees, subcommittees, and working groups have been established to deal with specific economic and social issues. Regular ministerial consultations also are held in such sectors as labor, social welfare, education, energy, and information.

The ASEAN Secretariat

The ASEAN Secretariat is located in Jakarta in a headquarters building provided by the Indonesian Government. The ASEAN states have not favored development of a strong central coordinating authority. The Secretariat is limited in size and is tasked mainly with serving the various ministerial meetings and committees. It has been suggested that the Secretariat might serve as a regional research, information, and statistical center, but this and other roles have not yet been authorized.

ASEAN

Members:
Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

Regional Forum (ARF) Members:
The ten members of ASEAN plus Russia, Mongolia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, India, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

Complementing the ASEAN Secretariat, each government maintains its own National Secretariat in its Foreign Ministry; these vary in size and function. The six National Secretariats are responsible to their own governments.

ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC)

ASEAN began establishing "Dialogue Partner" relationships in 1977 with countries that have major interests in the region. There are now ten Dialogue Partners. Each July, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meet with the Dialogue Partners at the Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC), immediately following the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, thus the name "PMC."

In recent years, ASEAN has been struggling to redefine the PMC and find a useful place for it between the ARF with its security portfolio and APEC with its economic agenda. The last several PMCs focused increasingly on international economic and political issues and on transnational issues, such as crime, narcotics, trafficking in persons, environment, and health.

This year, however, transnational issues were omitted from the PMC agenda.

The U.S. feels that the PMC has an important role in ASEAN's relations with the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. We believe it could most usefully serve as a forum for discussing transnational issues and political issues outside the region, subjects not covered by either ARF or APEC. Transnational issues are threats common to all PMC participants. ASEAN identified them as priority concerns for the ASEAN region in its own 1998 Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA). We hope the PMC will return to a discussion of transnational issues next year.

ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF)

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) draws together 23 countries involved in the security of the Asia-Pacific region. The ARF, which first met in 1994, provides a forum in which members can discuss regional political and security issues and develop cooperative measures to contribute to the maintenance of peace and security and the avoidance of conflict. ARF meetings are held at the Foreign Minister level, annually in late July, in conjunction with the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC). Chairmanship of the ARF is in line with the annual rotation of the Chairmanship of ASEAN. The principal formal ARF document is the ARF Chairman's Statement issued after every ARF ministerial meeting. The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the Inter-Sessional Support Group on Confidence Building Measures (ISG/CBMs) support the work of Ministers.

The ARF is characterized by minimal institutionalization and consensus decision-making. Participants have agreed on a three-stage evolution of confidence-building, preventive diplomacy and, in the longer term, approaches to conflict resolution.

The ARF's work program includes encouragement and development of confidence-building measures, such as promoting participation in international arms control and non-proliferation regimes and the production of Annual Security Outlooks by participating states.

Since 2000, the ARF has begun to develop its preventive diplomacy function, focusing on concepts and principles of preventive diplomacy as a framework for ARF activities. Specific tools are foreseen in efforts to enhance the role of the ARF Chair develop an experts/eminent persons register.

The 23 members of ASEAN Regional Forum include the ten members of ASEAN plus Russia, Mongolia, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, China, India, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

The U.S. strongly supports the ARF and has sponsored or co-sponsored several confidence-building measures and ARF workshops, notably on preventive diplomacy. Development of multilateral approaches to regional concerns will enhance regional peace, security, and stability and promote improved relations between and among states of the Asia-Pacific region and their partners from outside the region.

ECONOMY

The ASEAN region is one of the world's economic success stories in agriculture, industry, and trade. The economies range from resource-rich but still largely agricultural Indonesia, to the highly industrialized city-state of Singapore. The ASEAN nations are mainly committed to market- and export-oriented economic growth strategies. Their dynamic economies averaged annual GDP growth of about 7% during the 1970s but experienced stagnation or recession in the mid-1980s due to slackening world trade and deteriorating commodity and oil prices. Since the late 1980s, growth rates have increased steadily and in 1990 ranged from 2.1% for the Philippines to 12% for Thailand; the combined ASEAN economies grew 7.6% in 1990.

Except for Singapore and Brunei, the ASEAN economies are still largely agricultural, producing commodities such as rubber, palm oil, rice, copra, and coffee for export, though manufacturing sectors in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are of increasing importance in each economy. Singapore has a highly diversified commercial and industrial economy, with growing emphasis on the service sector. Commercialized cultivation and processing of primary agricultural products are important industries in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

ASEAN accounts for 72% of world exports of rubber and is the world's largest source of tropical timber. Mineral resources include 26% of the world's tin exports and significant amounts of copper, coal, nickel, and tungsten. Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei are important energy exporters, producing most of East Asia's petroleum and natural gas.

U.S.-ASEAN RELATIONS

July 29, 2005

U.S. ASEAN Cooperation Plan (ACP)

The ASEAN Cooperation Plan (ACP) is a U.S.-funded initiative that supports U.S.-ASEAN activities to advance mutual interests in areas such as promoting trade and countering transnational crime. Then-Secretary Powell announced the plan in August 2002 with the aim of strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat; building regional cooperation to address transnational challenges including terrorism, human trafficking, and infectious diseases; and fostering ASEAN economic integration and development. Since its inception, the program has initiated over 20 projects valued at more than $9 million. It has reinforced the broader U.S.-ASEAN relationship by bringing together many different government agencies, state governments, nongovernment organizations, and academics, and private sector entities. Below are some illustrative projects.

Fostering ASEAN Economic Integration and Development

• Providing a U.S. trade expert at the ASEAN Secretariat to support the organization's integration and the Vientiane Action Program, including holding seminars on trade negotiations, trade in services, rules of origins and a study of the potential benefits of a free trade agreement between the U.S. and several ASEAN countries.
• Seminars and studies on a variety of other trade issues, including AFTA procedures to promote intra-ASEAN trade, biotechnology, industrial standards and competition policy.
• Support for effective protection of intellectual property rights through training of ASEAN country judges, prosecutors, investigative officials, and others.
• Studies and technical assistance to promote the information and communications technology sector and cyber security in ASEAN countries.

Supporting the ASEAN Secretariat

• Increasing the Internet bandwidth capacity of the ASEAN Secretariat, creating an interactive ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Website, and establishing a portal for ASEAN member countries.
• Financing of ASEAN Secretariat staff support at ASEAN Summit in Vientiane.
• Training of Secretariat staff in information technology, international security, environment, and trade.

Building Regional Cooperation on Transnational Challenges

• Projects to assist in the regional fight against HIV/AIDS.
• Support for the Framework for Environmentally Sustainable Cities in ASEAN, improved enforcement of wildlife trafficking laws, and other environmental work.
• A seminar to increase capacity and foster cooperation on maritime security.
• Cooperative work on statistics to address the problem of Trafficking in Persons and workshops on developing ASEAN women's entrepreneurial skills and empowerment.
• Training and technical assistance for disaster management through the Incident Command System.
• Seminars to build capacity and cooperation on cyber-security.

Enhancing United States – ASEAN Cooperation

Deputy Secretary of State Robert B. Zoellick announced new measures to enhance U.S. relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). During a July 28 meeting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers, cochaired by Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi and Deputy Secretary Zoellick, the two sides agreed to begin negotiations for a U.S.-ASEAN Enhanced Partnership. The Deputy Secretary suggested that this agreement identify mutual goals and priorities for our relationship and an action plan to achieve our common vision across a full range of economic, political and security issues. The Deputy Secretary also proposed to ASEAN Ministers the following initiatives under the ASEAN Cooperation Plan announced in August 2002 to advance shared U.S.-ASEAN interests on issues such as trade, transnational crime and disaster management.

Environmental and Wildlife Conservation Projects:

Package of U.S. government initiatives to support ASEAN efforts to combat the $10 billion black market in wildlife that threatens global biodiversity, endangers public health, and undermines economic wellbeing. These include support for an ASEAN-wide law enforcement network to bolster the capacity of ASEAN states to enforce wildlife laws, share information and intelligence and prosecute offenders; support for an ASEAN ministerial conference in Bangkok to begin implementing the recently adopted ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora; and technical assistance to fund practical training for ASEAN environmental professionals for priority goals such as controlling invasive alien species, preventing tiger poaching and raising environmental awareness.

Extension of Trade Capacity Building, Technical Assistance and Training Program:

Extension for another year of a U.S. technical assistance and training program, located in the ASEAN Secretariat, that assists ASEAN with economic integration, trade facilitation, staff training, cyber-security and other mutually agreed priorities.

Counter-terrorism Assistance:

Assistance for activities under the 2003 U.S.-ASEAN Counter-terrorism Work Plan that may include supporting ASEAN efforts to develop an ambitious plan to combat transnational crime, a seminar on managing a rewards program to facilitate terrorist investigations and prosecutions; and a seminar on enhancing maritime domain awareness to help secure Southeast Asia's vital sea lanes.

Enhanced Access to Energy:

U.S. government support for ASEAN participation in the World Bank's Development Marketplace in the Philippines in Spring 2006 to assist in developing and marketing innovative energy development programs and a pan-regional "Clean Energy Financing Workshop" designed to bring financiers from private banks and public organizations together with project developers from ASEAN countries to mobilize increased financing for clean energy projects.