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Association of Southeast Asian Nations

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Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEAN
[show]
Flag
Emblem
Motto: One Vision, One Identity, One Community[1]
Anthem: The ASEAN Way
The ASEAN Way

Seat of Secretariat
Jakarta
Working language
English[show]
Demonym Southeast Asian
Member states
10[show]
Leaders
Secretary-General
Surin Pitsuwan
ASEAN Summit Presidency
Cambodia [2]
Establishment
Bangkok Declaration 8 August 1967
Charter 16 December 2008
Area
Total
4,479,210.5 km2
2,778,124.7 sq mi
Population
2010 estimate
601 million
Density 135/km2
216/sq mi
GDP (PPP)
2010 estimate
Total
US$ 3.084 trillion[3]
Per capita US$ 5,131
GDP (nominal)
2010 estimate
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Total
US$ 1.800 trillion
Per capita US$ 2,995
HDI (2011)
0.625[4] (medium)
Currency
10[show]
Time zone ASEAN (UTC+9 to +6:30)
Internet TLD
10[show]
Website
www.asean.org
Calling code
10[show]
1
If considered as a single entity.
2
Selected key basic ASEAN indicators
3
Annual growth 1.6%
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
Bangkok Declaration
The Secretariat of ASEAN at Jalan Sisingamangaraja No.70A,
South Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations[5] (ASEAN /si.n/
ah-see-ahn,[6] rarely /zi.n/ ah-zee-ahn)[7][8] is a geo-political
and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast
Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.[9] Since then,
membership has expanded to include Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Its aims include accelerating
economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its
members, protection of regional peace and stability, and
opportunities for member countries to discuss differences
peacefully.[10]
ASEAN covers a land area of 4.46 million km, which is 3% of the
total land area of Earth, and has a population of approximately
600 million people, which is 8.8% of the world's population. The
sea area of ASEAN is about three times larger than its land
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counterpart. In 2010, its combined nominal GDP had grown to
US$1.8 trillion.[11] If ASEAN were a single entity, it would rank
as the ninth largest economy in the world, behind the United
States, China, Japan, Germany, France, Brazil, the United
Kingdom, and Italy.
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Continued expansion
1.2 Environment and democracy
2 The ASEAN way
2.1 Critical receptions
3 Meetings
3.1 ASEAN Summit
3.2 East Asia Summit
3.3 Commemorative summit
3.4 Regional Forum
3.5 Other meetings
3.5.1 Another Three
3.5.2 AsiaEurope Meeting
3.5.3 ASEANRussia Summit
3.5.4 ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
4 Economic Community
4.1 From CEPT to AEC
4.2 Comprehensive Investment Area
4.3 Trade in Services
4.4 Single Aviation Market
4.5 Free Trade Agreements With Other Countries
4.6 ASEAN six majors
4.7 From CMI to AMRO
4.8 Foreign Direct Investment
4.9 Intra-ASEAN travel
4.10 Intra-ASEAN trade
5 Charter
6 Cultural activities
7 ASEAN Media Cooperation
7.1 S.E.A. Write Award
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7.2 ASAIHL
7.3 Heritage Parks
7.3.1 List
7.4 Official song
8 Education and Human Development
8.1 University Network
8.2 Scholarship
9 Sports
9.1 Southeast Asian Games
9.2 ASEAN Para Games
9.3 FESPIC Games/ Asian Para Games
9.4 Football Championship
9.5 ASEAN 2030 FIFA World Cup bid
10 ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration
11 Criticism
12 See also
13 References
14 External links
[edit]History
See also: Member states of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations
ASEAN was preceded by an organisation called the Association of
Southeast Asia, commonly called ASA, an alliance consisting of
the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand that was formed in 1961.
The bloc itself, however, was established on 8 August 1967, when
foreign ministers of five countries Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand met at the Thai
Department of Foreign Affairs building in Bangkok and signed
the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as the Bangkok
Declaration. The five foreign ministers Adam Malik of
Indonesia, Narciso Ramos of the Philippines, Abdul Razak of
Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of
Thailand are considered the organisation's Founding
Fathers.[12]
The motivations for the birth of ASEAN were so that its members
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governing elite could concentrate on nation building, the common
fear of communism, reduced faith in or mistrust of external
powers in the 1960s, and a desire for economic development; not to
mention Indonesias ambition to become a regional hegemon
through regional cooperation and the hope on the part of Malaysia
and Singapore to constrain Indonesia and bring it into a more
cooperative framework.
Papua New Guinea was accorded Observer status in 1976 and
Special Observer status in 1981.[13] Papua New Guinea is a
Melanesian state. ASEAN embarked on a program of economic
cooperation following the Bali Summit of 1976. This floundered
in the mid-1980s and was only revived around 1991 due to a Thai
proposal for a regional free trade area. The bloc grew when Brunei
Darussalam became the sixth member on 8 January 1984, barely a
week after gaining independence on 1 January.[14]
[edit]Continued expansion
See also: Enlargement of Association of Southeast Asian Nations
On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became the seventh member.[15] Laos
and Myanmar (Burma) joined two years later on 23 July 1997.[16]
Cambodia was to have joined together with Laos and Burma, but
was deferred due to the country's internal political struggle. The
country later joined on 30 April 1999, following the stabilisation
of its government.[16][17]
During the 1990s, the bloc experienced an increase in both
membership and drive for further integration. In 1990, Malaysia
proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus[18]
comprising the then members of ASEAN as well as the People's
Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention of
counterbalancing the growing influence of the United States in the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and in the Asian
region as a whole.[19][20] This proposal failed, however, because
of heavy opposition from the United States and Japan.[19][21]
Despite this failure, member states continued to work for further
integration and ASEAN Plus Three was created in 1997.
In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT)
scheme was signed as a schedule for phasing tariffs and as a goal
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to increase the regions competitive advantage as a production base
geared for the world market. This law would act as the framework
for the ASEAN Free Trade Area. After the East Asian Financial
Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was established
in Chiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which calls
for better integration between the economies of ASEAN as well as
the ASEAN Plus Three countries (China, Japan, and South
Korea).[22]
Aside from improving each member state's economies, the bloc also
focused on peace and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995,
the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed
with the intention of turning Southeast Asia into a
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March
1997 after all but one of the member states have ratified it. It
became fully effective on 21 June 2001, after the Philippines
ratified it, effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the
region.[23]
Satellite image of the 2006 haze over Borneo
East Timor submitted a letter of application to be the eleventh
member of ASEAN at the summit in Jakarta in March 2011.
Indonesia has shown a warm welcome to East Timor.[24][25][26]
[edit]Environment and democracy
At the turn of the 21st century, issues shifted to involve a more
environmental perspective. The organisation started to discuss
environmental agreements. These included the signing of the
ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002 as
an attempt to control haze pollution in Southeast Asia.[27]
Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful due to the outbreaks of the
2005 Malaysian haze and the 2006 Southeast Asian haze. Other
environmental treaties introduced by the organisation include the
Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security,[28] the ASEAN
Wildlife Enforcement Network in 2005,[29] and the Asia-Pacific
Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, both of which are
responses to the potential effects of climate change. Climate change
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is of current interest.
Through the Bali Concord II in 2003, ASEAN has subscribed to
the notion of democratic peace, which means all member countries
believe democratic processes will promote regional peace and
stability. Also, the non-democratic members all agreed that it was
something all member states should aspire to.[30]
The leaders of each country, particularly Mahathir Mohamad of
Malaysia, also felt the need to further integrate the region.
Beginning in 1997, the bloc began creating organisations within
its framework with the intention of achieving this goal. ASEAN
Plus Three was the first of these and was created to improve
existing ties with the People's Republic of China, Japan, and
South Korea. This was followed by the even larger East Asia
Summit, which included these countries as well as India,
Australia, and New Zealand. This new grouping 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 as well as the
possibility of drafting an ASEAN Charter.
In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations
General Assembly.[31] As a response, the organisation awarded the
status of "dialogue partner" to the United Nations.[32]
Furthermore, on 23 July that year, Jos Ramos-Horta, then Prime
Minister of East Timor, signed a formal request for membership
and expected the accession process to last at least five years before
the then-observer state became a full member.[33][34]
In 2007, ASEAN celebrated its 40th anniversary since its
inception, and 30 years of diplomatic relations with the United
States.[35] On 26 August 2007, ASEAN stated that it aims to
complete all its free trade agreements with China, Japan, South
Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand by 2013, in line with the
establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by
2015.[36][37] In November 2007 the ASEAN members signed the
ASEAN Charter, a constitution governing relations among the
ASEAN members and establishing ASEAN itself as an
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international legal entity.[citation needed] During the same year,
the Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security was signed in
Cebu on 15 January 2007, by ASEAN and the other members of
the EAS (Australia, People's Republic of China, India, Japan,
New Zealand, South Korea), which promotes energy security by
finding energy alternatives to conventional fuels.[citation needed]
On 27 February 2009 a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN
regional block of 10 countries and New Zealand and its close
partner Australia was signed, it is estimated that this FTA would
boost aggregate GDP across the 12 countries by more than US$48
billion over the period 20002020.[38][39]
[edit]The ASEAN way

The flags of 10 ASEAN members.

In the 1960s, the push for decolonisation[citation needed]
promoted the independence and establishment of sovereign nations
such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Since the beginning phases of
these nations, efforts were made to implement independent policies
with a unifying focus of refrain from interference in regional
domestic affairs.
There was a move to unify the region under what was called the
ASEAN Way[citation needed] based on the ideals of
non-interference, informality, minimal institutionalisation,
consultation and consensus, non-use of force and
non-confrontation. ASEAN members (especially Singapore)
approved of the term ASEAN Way[citation needed] to describe a
regional method of multilateralism.
Thus the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in
Southeast Asia adopted fundamental principles[40]:
Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality,
territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations
The right of every State to lead its national existence free from
external interference, subversion or coercion
Non-interference in internal affairs
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Settlement of differences or disputes in a peaceful manner
Renunciation of the threat or use of force
Effective regional cooperation
The ASEAN way is said to contribute durability and longevity
within the organization, by promoting regional identity and
enhancing a spirit of mutual confidence and cooperation. ASEAN
agreements are negotiated in a close, interpersonal process. The
process of consultations and consensus is designed to engender a
democratic approach to decision making. These leaders are wary of
any effort to legitimize efforts to undermine their nation or
contain regional co-operation.[citation needed]
[edit]Critical receptions
The ASEAN way can be seen as divergent from the contextual
contemporary political reality at the formative stages of the
association. A critical distinction is made by Amitav Acharya, that
the ASEAN Way indicates a process of regional interactions and
cooperation based on discreteness, informality, consensus building
and non-confrontational bargaining styles that contrasts with the
adversarial posturing, majority vote and other legalistic
decision-making procedures in Western multilateral
organizations."[41]
However, critics argue[who?] that the ASEAN Way serves as the
major stumbling-block to it becoming a true diplomacy
mechanism. Due to the consensus-based approach every member
has a veto, so contentious issues must remain unresolved until
agreements can be reached. Moreover, it is claimed that member
nations are directly and indirectly advocating that ASEAN be
more flexible and allow discourse on internal affairs of member
countries.[citation needed]
Additionally, the preference for informal discussions to
adversarial negotiations limits the leverage of diplomatic solutions
within ASEAN.
[edit]Meetings
[edit]ASEAN Summit
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A Billboard in Jakarta welcoming ASEAN Summit 2011
delegates.
The organisation holds meetings, known as the ASEAN Summit,
where heads of government of each member meet to discuss and
resolve regional issues, as well as to conduct other meetings with
other countries outside of the bloc with the intention of promoting
external relations.
The ASEAN Leaders' Formal Summit was first held in Bali,
Indonesia in 1976. Its third meeting was held in Manila in 1987
and during this meeting, it was decided that the leaders would
meet every five years.[42] Consequently, the fourth meeting was
held in Singapore in 1992 where the leaders again agreed to meet
more frequently, deciding to hold the summit every three
years.[42] In 2001, it was decided to meet annually to address
urgent issues affecting the region. Member nations were assigned
to be the summit host in alphabetical order except in the case of
Burma which dropped its 2006 hosting rights in 2004 due to
pressure from the United States and the European Union.[43]
By December 2008, the ASEAN Charter came into force and with
it, the ASEAN Summit will be held twice in a year.
The formal summit meets for three days. The usual itinerary is as
follows:
Leaders of member states would hold an internal organisation
meeting.
Leaders of member states would hold a conference together with
foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
A meeting, known as ASEAN Plus Three, is set for leaders of
three Dialogue Partners (People's Republic of China, Japan,
South Korea)
A separate meeting, known as ASEAN-CER, is set for another set
of leaders of two Dialogue Partners (Australia, New
Zealand).[citation needed]
ASEAN Formal Summits
No
Date
Country Host
Host leader
1st
2324 February 1976 Indonesia Bali
Soeharto
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2nd
45 August 1977
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Hussein Onn
3rd
1415 December 1987 Philippines
Manila
Corazon Aquino
4th
2729 January 1992 Singapore Singapore Goh Chok
Tong
5th
1415 December 1995 Thailand Bangkok Banharn
Silpa-archa
6th
1516 December 1998 Vietnam Hanoi
Phan Vn
Khi
7th
56 November 2001 Brunei Bandar Seri
Begawan Hassanal Bolkiah
8th
45 November 2002 Cambodia Phnom Penh
Hun Sen
9th
78 October 2003
Indonesia Bali
Megawati
Soekarnoputri
10th
2930 November 2004 Laos
Vientiane
Bounnhang Vorachith
11th
1214 December 2005 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
12th
1114 January 20071 Philippines2
Cebu
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
13th
1822 November 2007 Singapore Singapore Lee Hsien
Loong
14th3
27 February 1 March 2009
1011 April 2009
Thailand Cha Am, Hua Hin
Pattaya Abhisit Vejjajiva
15th
23 October 2009
Thailand Cha Am, Hua Hin
16th
89 April 2010
Vietnam Hanoi
Nguyn
Tn Dng
17th
2831 October 2010
Vietnam Hanoi
18th4
78 May 2011
Indonesia Jakarta Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono
19th4
1419 November 2011 Indonesia Bali
20th
34 April 2012
Cambodia Phnom Penh
Hun Sen
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1 Postponed from 1014 December 2006 due to Typhoon Utor.
2 hosted the summit because Burma backed out due to enormous
pressure from US and EU
3 This summit consisted of two parts.
The first part was moved from 1217 December 2008 due to the
2008 Thai political crisis.
The second part was aborted on 11 April due to protesters entering
the summit venue.
4 Indonesia hosted twice in a row by swapping years with Brunei,
as it will play host to APEC (and possibly the G20 summit) in
2013.
ASEAN Summits held once or twice a year in a same venue/host
nation. Example, Indonesia is the host for 2011 ASEAN Summit;
all summits, formal or informal this year 2011 must be held in
Indonesia.
During the fifth Summit in Bangkok, the leaders decided to meet
"informally" between each formal summit:[42]
ASEAN Informal Summits
No
Date
Country Host
Host leader
1st
30 November 1996
Indonesia Jakarta Soeharto
2nd
1416 December 1997 Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Mahathir Mohamad
3rd
2728 November 1999 Philippines
Manila
Joseph Estrada
4th
2225 November 2000 Singapore Singapore Goh Chok
Tong
[edit]East Asia Summit
Participants of the East Asia Summit:
ASEAN
ASEAN Plus Three
Additional members
Observer
Main article: East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a pan-Asian forum held annually
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by the leaders of 16 countries in East Asia and the region, with
ASEAN in a leadership position. The summit has discussed issues
including trade, energy and security and the summit has a role in
regional community building.
The members of the summit are all 10 members of ASEAN plus
China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
These nations represent nearly half of the world's population. In
October 2010, Russia and the United States were formally invited
to participate as full members, with presidents of both countries to
attend the 2011 summit.[44]
The first summit was held in Kuala Lumpur on 14 December 2005
and subsequent meetings have been held after the annual ASEAN
Leaders Meeting.
Meeting Country Location Date
Note
First EAS Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
14 December 2005
Russia attended as a guest.
Second EAS
Philippines
Cebu City 15
January 2007
Rescheduled from 13 December 2006.
Cebu Declaration on East Asian Energy Security
Third EAS
Singapore Singapore 21 November 2007
Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the
Environment[45]
Agreed to establish Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and
East Asia
Fourth EAS
Thailand Cha-am and Hua Hin 25 October
2009
The date and location of the venue was rescheduled
several times, and then a Summit scheduled for 12 April 2009 at
Pattaya, Thailand was cancelled when protesters stormed the
venue. The Summit has been rescheduled for October 2009 and
transferred again from Phuket[46] to Cha-am and Hua Hin.[47]
Fifth EAS Viet Nam Hanoi
30 October 2010[48] Officially
invited the US and Russia to participate in future EAS as
full-fledged members[44]
Sixth EAS Indonesia Bali
19 November 2011
The
United States and Russia to join the Summit.
[edit]Commemorative summit
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Main article: ASEAN Free Trade Area
A commemorative summit is a summit hosted by a non-ASEAN
country to mark a milestone anniversary of the establishment of
relations between ASEAN and the host country. The host country
invites the heads of government of ASEAN member countries to
discuss future cooperation and partnership.
Meeting Host
Location Date
Note
ASEANJapan Commemorative Summit
Japan
Tokyo
11, 12 December 2003 To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the
establishment of relations between ASEAN and Japan. The
summit was also notable as the first ASEAN summit held between
ASEAN and a non-ASEAN country outside the region.
ASEANChina Commemorative Summit
People's Republic of
China
Nanning 30, 31 October 2006 To celebrate the 15th
anniversary of the establishment of relations between ASEAN and
China
ASEANRepublic of Korea Commemorative Summit South
Korea
Jeju-do 1, 2 June 2009
To celebrate the 20th
anniversary of the establishment of relations between ASEAN and
Republic of Korea
[edit]Regional Forum
ASEAN full members
ASEAN observers
ASEAN candidate members
ASEAN Plus Three
East Asia Summit
ASEAN Regional Forum

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is a formal, official,

multilateral dialogue in Asia Pacific region. As of July 2007, it is
consisted of 27 participants. ARF objectives are to foster dialogue
and consultation, and promote confidence-building and preventive
diplomacy in the region.[49] The ARF met for the first time in
1994. The current participants in the ARF are as follows: all the
ASEAN members, Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the People's
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Republic of China, the European Union, India, Japan, North
Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua
New Guinea, Russia, East Timor, United States and Sri
Lanka.[50] The Republic of China (also known as Taiwan) has
been excluded since the establishment of the ARF, and issues
regarding the Taiwan Strait are neither discussed at the ARF
meetings nor stated in the ARF Chairman's Statements.
[edit]Other meetings
Aside from the ones above, other regular[51] meetings are also
held.[52] These include the annual ASEAN Ministerial
Meeting[53] as well as other smaller committees.[54] Meetings
mostly focus on specific topics, such as defence[51] or the
environment,[51][55] and are attended by Ministers, instead of
heads of government.
[edit]Another Three
The ASEAN Plus Three is a meeting between ASEAN, China,
Japan, and South Korea, and is primarily held during each
ASEAN Summit. Until now China, Japan and South Korea have
not yet formed Free Trade Area (FTA), the meeting about FTA
among them will be held at end of 2012.[56]
[edit]AsiaEurope Meeting
The AsiaEurope Meeting (ASEM) is an informal dialogue
process initiated in 1996 with the intention of strengthening
cooperation between the countries of Europe and Asia, especially
members of the European Union and ASEAN in particular.[57]
ASEAN, represented by its Secretariat, is one of the 45 ASEM
partners. It also appoints a representative to sit on the governing
board of Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), a socio-cultural
organisation associated with the Meeting.
[edit]ASEANRussia Summit
The ASEANRussia Summit is an annual meeting between
leaders of member states and the President of Russia.
[edit]ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
The 44th annual meeting was held in Bali on 16 to 23 July 2011.
Indonesia proposed a unified ASEAN travel visa to ease travel
within the region for citizens of ASEAN member states.[58] The
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45th annual meeting was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. For the
first time in the history of ASEAN there was no diplomatic
statement issued by the bloc at the end of the meeting. This was
due to tensions over China's claim of ownership over near the
entirety of the South China Sea and the counterclaim to such
ownership by neighboring states.
[edit]Economic Community
ASEAN has emphasised regional cooperation in the three
pillars, which are security, sociocultural integration, and
economic integration.[59] The regional grouping has made the
most progress in economic integration by creating an ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) by 2015.[60] The average economic
growths of ASEAN's member nations during 19892009 was
Singapore with 6.73 percent, Malaysia with 6.15 percent,
Indonesia with 5.16 percent, Thailand with 5.02 percent, and the
Philippines with 3.79 percent. This economic growth was greater
than the average Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
economic growth, which was 2.83 percent.[61]
[edit]From CEPT to AEC
A Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme to
promote the free flow of goods within ASEAN lead to the ASEAN
Free Trade Area (AFTA).[60] The AFTA is an agreement by the
member nations of ASEAN concerning local manufacturing in all
ASEAN countries. The AFTA agreement was signed on 28
January 1992 in Singapore.[62] When the AFTA agreement was
originally signed, ASEAN had six members, namely, Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
Vietnam joined in 1995, Laos and Burma in 1997, and Cambodia
in 1999. The latecomers have not fully met the AFTA's
obligations, but they are officially considered part of the AFTA as
they were required to sign the agreement upon entry into ASEAN,
and were given longer time frames in which to meet AFTA's tariff
reduction obligations.[63]
The next step is ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) with main
objectives are to create a:
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single market and production base
highly competitive economic region
region of equitable economic development
region fully integrated into the global economy
Since 2007, the ASEAN countries gradually lower their import
duties among them and targeted will be zero for most of the import
duties at 2015.[64]
Since 2011, AEC has agreed to strengthen the position and increase
the competitive edges of small and medium enterprises (SME) in
the ASEAN region.[65]
aseanblogger.com has agreed to set up online ASEAN community
with aim to raise people's awareness on the issue of AEC by 2015.
The content of the portal currently consisted of subjects varying
from security to culinary and in the future will also touch tourist
sites and local culture.[66]
[edit]Comprehensive Investment Area
The ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Area (ACIA) will
encourage the free flow of investment within ASEAN. The main
principles of the ACIA are as follows[67]
All industries are to be opened up for investment, with exclusions
to be phased out according to schedules
National treatment is granted immediately to ASEAN investors
with few exclusions
Elimination of investment impediments
Streamlining of investment process and procedures
Enhancing transparency
Undertaking investment facilitation measures
Full realisation of the ACIA with the removal of temporary
exclusion lists in manufacturing agriculture, fisheries, forestry
and mining is scheduled by 2010 for most ASEAN members and by
2015 for the CLMV (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Burma, and Vietnam)
countries.[67]
[edit]Trade in Services
An ASEAN Framework Agreement on Trade in Services was
adopted at the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in December 1995.[68]
Under AFAS, ASEAN Member States enter into successive rounds
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of negotiations to liberalise trade in services with the aim of
submitting increasingly higher levels of commitments. The
negotiations result in commitments that are set forth in schedules
of specific commitments annexed to the Framework Agreement.
These schedules are often referred to as packages of services
commitments. At present, ASEAN has concluded seven packages of
commitments under AFAS.[69]
[edit]Single Aviation Market
The ASEAN Single Aviation Market (SAM), proposed by the
ASEAN Air Transport Working Group, supported by the ASEAN
Senior Transport Officials Meeting, and endorsed by the ASEAN
Transport Ministers, will introduce an open-sky arrangement to
the region by 2015.[70] The ASEAN SAM will be expected to fully
liberalise air travel between its member states, allowing ASEAN to
directly benefit from the growth in air travel around the world,
and also freeing up tourism, trade, investment and services flows
between member states.[70][71] Beginning 1 December 2008,
restrictions on the third and fourth freedoms of the air between
capital cities of member states for air passengers services will be
removed,[72] while from 1 January 2009, there will be full
liberalisation of air freight services in the region, while[70][71]
By 1 January 2011, there will be liberalisation of fifth freedom
traffic rights between all capital cities.[73]
[edit]Free Trade Agreements With Other Countries
ASEAN has concluded free trade agreements with China
(expecting bilateral trade of $500 billion by 2015),[74] Korea,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most recently India.[75] The
agreement with People's Republic of China created the
ASEANChina Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which went into full
effect on 1 January 2010. In addition, ASEAN is currently
negotiating a free trade agreement with the European Union.[76]
Republic of China (Taiwan) has also expressed interest in an
agreement with ASEAN but needs to overcome diplomatic
objections from China.[77]
[edit]ASEAN six majors
ASEAN six majors refer to the six largest economies in the area
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with economies many times larger than the remaining four
ASEAN countries.
The ASEAN six majors are (GDP nominal 2011 based on IMF
data. The figures in parentheses are GDP PPP.)
Indonesia: 845,680 millions (1,124 billions)
Thailand: 345,649 millions (616 billions)
Malaysia: 278,680 millions (447 billions)
Singapore: 259,849 millions (415 billions)
Philippines: 213,129 billions (390 billions)
Vietnam: 122,722 billions (299 billions)
[edit]From CMI to AMRO
Due to Asian financial crisis of 1997 to 1998 and long and
difficult negotiations with International Monetary Fund,
ASEAN+3 agreed to set up a mainly bilateral currency swap
scheme known as the 2000 Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) to
anticipate another financial crisis or currency turmoil in the
future. In 2006 they agreed to make CMI with multilateralisation
and called as CMIM. On 3 May 2009, they agreed to make a
currency pool consist of contribution $38.4 billion each by China
and Japan, $19.2 billion by South Korea and totally $24 billion by
all of ASEAN members, so the total currency pool was $120
billion.[78] A key component has also newly been added, with the
establishment of a surveillance unit.[79]
The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic and Research Office (AMRO) will
start its operation in Singapore in May 2011.[80] It will perform a
key regional surveillance function as part of the $120 billion of
Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) currency swap
facility that was established by Finance Minister and Central
Bank Governors of ASEAN countries plus China, Japan and
South Korea in December 2009.[81]
According to some analysts, the amount of $120 billion is
relatively small (cover only about 20 percent of needs), so
coordination or help from International Monetary Fund is still
needed.[82] On 3 May 2012 ASEAN+3 finance ministers agreed to
double emergency reserve fund to $240 billion.[83]
[edit]Foreign Direct Investment
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In 2009, realized Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was $37.9
billion and increase by two-fold in 2010 to $75.8 billion. 22
percent of FDI came form the European Union, followed by
ASEAN countries themselves by 16 percent and then followed by
Japan and US. European Union and US has debt problems, while
Japan should make tsunami recovery. China who helped Asia lead
the global post-2008 recovery still grapples with 3-years high
inflation. So, in the longterm all of the problems will give negative
impact to ASEAN indirectly. There are possibility to push some
programs of ASEAN Economic Community before 2015.[84]
[edit]Intra-ASEAN travel
with free visa among ASEAN countries, a huge intra-ASEAN
travel occurred and on the right track to establish an ASEAN
Community in the years to come. In 2010, 47 percent or 34 million
from 73 million tourists were intra-ASEAN travel.[85]
[edit]Intra-ASEAN trade
Until end of 2010, Intra-Asean trade were still low which mainly
of them were mostly exporting to countries outside the region,
except Laos and Myanmar were ASEAN-oriented in foreign trade
with 80 percent and 50 percent respectively of their exports went to
other ASEAN countries.[86]
[edit]Charter
Main article: ASEAN Charter
On 15 December 2008 the members of ASEAN met in the
Indonesian capital of Jakarta to launch a charter, signed in
November 2007, with the aim of moving closer to "an EU-style
community".[87] The charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and
aims to create a single free-trade area for the region encompassing
500 million people. President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono stated that "This is a momentous development when
ASEAN is consolidating, integrating and transforming itself into
a community. It is achieved while ASEAN seeks a more vigorous
role in Asian and global affairs at a time when the international
system is experiencing a seismic shift," he added, referring to
climate change and economic upheaval. Southeast Asia is no
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longer the bitterly divided, war-torn region it was in the 1960s and
1970s." "The fundamental principles include:
a) respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial
integrity and national identity of all ASEAN Member States;
b) shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing
regional peace, security and prosperity;
c) renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or
other actions in any manner inconsistent with international law;
d) reliance on peaceful settlement of disputes;
e) non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member
States;
f) respect for the right of every Member State to lead its national
existence free from external interference, subversion and coercion;
g) enhanced consultations on matters seriously affecting the
common interest of ASEAN;
h) adherence to the rule of law, good governance, the principles of
democracy and constitutional government;
i) respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection
of human rights, and the promotion of social justice;
j) upholding the United Nations Charter and international law,
including international humanitarian law, subscribed to by
ASEAN Member States;
k) abstention from participation in any policy or activity,
including the use of its territory, pursued by and ASEAN Member
State or non-ASEAN State or any non-State actor, which threatens
the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political and economic
stability of ASEAN Member States;
l) respect for the different cultures, languages and religions of the
peoples of ASEAN, while emphasising their common values in the
spirit of unity in diversity;
m) the centrality of ASEAN in external political, economic, social
and cultural relations while remaining actively engaged,
outward-looking, inclusive and non-discriminatory; and
n) adherence to multilateral trade rules and ASEAN's rules-based
regimes for effective implementation of economic commitments
and progressive reduction towards elimination of all barriers to
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regional economic integration, in a market-driven economy".[88]
However, the ongoing global financial crisis was stated as being a
threat to the goals envisioned by the charter,[89] and also set forth
the idea of a proposed human rights body to be discussed at a
future summit in February 2009. This proposition caused
controversy, as the body would not have the power to impose
sanctions or punish countries who violate citizens' rights and
would therefore be limited in effectiveness.[90] The body was
established later in 2009 as the ASEAN Intergovernmental
Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
[edit]Cultural activities

Logo of the S.E.A. Write Award

The organisation hosts cultural activities in an attempt to further
integrate the region. These include sports and educational
activities as well as writing awards. Examples of these include the
ASEAN University Network, the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity,
the ASEAN Outstanding Scientist and Technologist Award, and
the Singapore-sponsored ASEAN Scholarship.
[edit]ASEAN Media Cooperation
The ASEAN Media Cooperation (AMC) set digital television
standards, policies and create in preparation for broadcasters to
transition from analog to digital broadcasting, better promote
media collaboration and information exchange to enhance voice,
understanding, and perspective between ASEAN peoples on the
international stage.
The ASEAN member countries aim media sector towards
digitalization and further regional media coaction. AMC
establishes partnerships between ASEAN news media, and
cooperate on information sharing, photo swapping, technical
cooperation, exchange programs, and facilitating joint news
coverage and exchange of news footage.
Several key initiatives that were initiated under the AMC:[91]
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ASEAN Media Portal, a one-stop site that contains documentaries,
games, music videos, and multimedia clips on the culture, arts and
heritage of the ASEAN countries
ASEAN NewsMaker Project, an initiative launched in 2009 that
trains students and teachers to produce informational video clips
about the lifestyle in their country
ASEAN Digital Broadcasting Meeting, an annual forum for
ASEAN members to set digital television standards and policies,
and to discuss progress in the implementation of the blueprint to
switchover from analog to digital TV broadcasting by 2020
ASEANs Next Top Chef and The Legend of the Golden Talisman,
two interactive games developed to raise awareness about ASEAN,
and its people, places and cultures
New Media and Social Media
During the 11th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information
meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ASEAN leaders
recognized the emergence of new and social media as an important
tool for communications and interaction in ASEAN today. The
Ministers agreed that efforts should be made to leverage on social
media to promote ASEAN awareness towards achieving an
ASEAN community by 2015. Initially, ASEAN will consolidate
the ASEAN Culture and Information Portal and the ASEAN
Media Portal to incorporate new media elements.
[edit]S.E.A. Write Award
The S.E.A. Write Award is a literary award given to Southeast
Asian poets and writers annually since 1979. The award is either
given for a specific work or as a recognition of an author's lifetime
achievement. Works that are honoured vary and have included
poetry, short stories, novels, plays, folklore as well as scholarly and
religious works. Ceremonies are held in Bangkok and are presided
by a member of the Thai royal family.
[edit]ASAIHL
ASAIHL or the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of
Higher Learning is a non-governmental organisation founded in
1956 that strives to strengthen higher learning institutions,
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espescially in teaching, research, and public service, with the
intention of cultivating a sense of regional identity and
interdependence.
[edit]Heritage Parks
ASEAN Heritage Parks[92] is a list of nature parks launched
1984 and relaunched in 2004. It aims to protect the region's
natural treasures. There are now 35 such protected areas,
including the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the Kinabalu
National Park.[93]
[edit]List
ASEAN Heritage Sites
Site
Country Site
Country
Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park
Burma Ao
Phang-nga Marine National Park
Thailand
Apo Natural Park
Philippines
Imperial City, Hu
Vietnam
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
Indonesia Gunung
Leuser National Park Indonesia
Gunung Mulu National Park
Malaysia Ha Long Bay
Vietnam
Hoi An Ancient Town
Vietnam Mounts Iglit-Baco
National Park
Philippines
Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary
Burma Inl Lake
Wildlife Sanctuary Burma
Kaeng Krachan National Park Thailand Kerinci Seblat
National Park
Indonesia
Khakaborazi National Park
Burma Khao Yai National
Park
Thailand
Kinabalu National Park
Malaysia Komodo National
Park
Indonesia
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long Vietnam Lampi Kyun
Wildlife Reserve
Burma
Lorentz National Park
Indonesia Meinmhala Kyun
Wildlife Sanctuary Burma
Mu Ko Surin-Mu Ko Similan Marine National Park Thailand
Nam Ha Protected Area
Laos
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Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
Vietnam Preah
Monivong (Bokor) National Park
Cambodia
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Philippines
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Singapore
Taman Negara National Park
Malaysia Tarutao Marine
National Park
Thailand
Tasek Merimbun Wildlife Sanctuary
Brunei Thung
Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng National Park
Thailand
Tubbataha Reef Marine Park
Philippines
Ujung
Kulon National Park Indonesia
Virachey National Park
Cambodia Keraton Yogyakarta
Indonesia
M S n
Vietnam Citadel of Ho Dynasty Vietnam
[edit]Official song
The ASEAN Way the official regional anthem of ASEAN,
music by Kittikhun Sodprasert and Sampow Triudom Thailand;
Lyrics by Payom Valaiphatchra Thailand.
ASEAN Song of Unity or ASEAN Hymn, music by Ryan
Cayabyab Philippines.
Let Us Move Ahead, an ASEAN song, composed by Candra
Darusman Indonesia.
ASEAN Rise, ASEAN's 40th Anniversary song, composed by Dick
Lee Singapore; lyrics by Stefanie Sun Singapore.
[edit]Education and Human Development
[edit]University Network
The ASEAN University Network (AUN) is a consortium of
Southeast Asian universities. It was originally founded in
November 1995 by 11 universities within the member states.[94]
Currently AUN comprises 26 Participating Universities.[95]
The Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network
(SEED-NET) Project, was officially established as an autonomous
sub-network of the ASEAN University Network (AUN) in April
2001'. AUN/SEED-Net aimed at promoting human resources
development in engineering in ASEAN. The Network consists of
19 leading Member Institutions (selected by the Ministries in
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charge of higher education of respective countries) from 10
ASEAN countries with the support of 11 leading Japanese
Supporting Universities (selected by Japanese Government).
AUN/SEED-Net is mainly supported by the Japanese Government
through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and
partially supported by the ASEAN Foundation. AUN/SEED-Net
activities are implemented by the AUN/SEED-Net Secretariat
with the support of the JICA Project for AUN/SEED-Net, now
based at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
[edit]Scholarship
The ASEAN Scholarship is a scholarship program offered by
Singapore to the 9 other member states for secondary school,
junior college, and university education. It covers accommodation,
food, medical benefits & accident insurance, school fees, and
examination fees.[96]
[edit]Sports
[edit]Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as the SEA Games,
is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the
current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games is under
regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with
supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
the Olympic Council of Asia.
[edit]ASEAN Para Games
Logo of the ASEAN Para Games
The ASEAN Para Games is a biennial multi-sport event held after
every Southeast Asian Games for athletes with physical
disabilities. The games are participated by the 11 countries located
in Southeast Asia. The Games, patterned after the Paralympic
Games, are played by physically challenged athletes with mobility
disabilities, visual disabilities,
[edit]FESPIC Games/ Asian Para Games
The FESPIC Games, also known as the Far East and South
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Pacific Games for the persons with disability, was the biggest
multi-sports games in Asia and South Pacific region. The FESPIC
Games were held nine times and bowed out, a success[97] in
December 2006 in the 9th FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia. The Games re-emerged as the 2010 Asian Para Games in
Guangzhou, China. The 2010 Asian Para Games debuted shortly
after the conclusion of the 16th Asian Games, using the same
facilities and venue made disability-accessible. The inaugural
Asian Para Games, the parallel event for athletes with physical
disabilities, is a multi-sport event held every four years after every
Asian Games.
[edit]Football Championship
The ASEAN Football Championship is a biennial Football
competition organised by the ASEAN Football Federation,
accredited by FIFA and contested by the national teams of
Southeast Asia nations. It was inaugurated in 1996 as Tiger Cup,
but after Asia Pacific Breweries terminated the sponsorship deal,
"Tiger" was renamed "ASEAN".
[edit]ASEAN 2030 FIFA World Cup bid
January 2011: As a result of ASEAN Foreign ministers at Lombok
meeting, they agreed bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 as a
single entity.[98]
May 2011: ASEAN will go ahead with its bid for the FIFA 2030
World Cup. It was a follow up to the agreement reached in
January before.[99]
[edit]ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have established
defense industries. To cut cost and plan to be self-sufficient by
2030, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to promote the creation
of the ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration (ADIC).[100] The
United States military reportedly has said that ADIC could have
additional benefits beyond cost savings for ASEAN members,
including facilitating a set of standards, similar to NATO, that
will improve interoperability among ASEAN and U.S. militaries
and increase the effectiveness of regional response to threats to
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Asia-Pacific peace and stability.[101]
[edit]Criticism
Non-ASEAN countries have criticised ASEAN for being too soft
in its approach to promoting human rights and democracy in the
junta-led Burma.[102] Despite global outrage at the military
crack-down on peaceful protesters in Yangon, ASEAN has refused
to suspend Burma as a member and also rejects proposals for
economic sanctions.[103] This has caused concern as the European
Union, a potential trade partner, has refused to conduct free trade
negotiations at a regional level for these political reasons.[104]
International observers view it as a "talk shop",[105] which
implies that the organisation is "big on words but small on
action".[106][107] However, leaders such as the Philippines'
Foreign Affairs Secretary, Alberto Romulo, said it is a workshop
not a talk shop.[108] Others have also expressed similar
sentiment.[109]
Head of the International Institute of Strategic Studies Asia,
Tim Huxley cites the diverse political systems present in the
grouping, including many young states, as a barrier to
far-reaching cooperation outside the economic sphere. He also
asserts that in the absence of an external threat to rally against
with the end of the Cold War, ASEAN has begun to be less
successful at restraining its members and resolving border disputes
such as those between Burma and Thailand and Indonesia and
Malaysia.[110]
During the 12th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, several activist groups
staged anti-globalisation and anti-Arroyo rallies.[111] According
to the activists, the agenda of economic integration would
negatively affect industries in the Philippines and would cause
thousands of Filipinos to lose their jobs.[112] They also viewed the
organisation as imperialistic that threatens the country's
sovereignty.[112] A human rights lawyer from New Zealand was
also present to protest about the human rights situation in the
region in general.[113]
[edit]See also
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