Evolution and the central role of ASEAN in the regional cooperation

Translated by Alessandra Fumagalli 

Since the 50s, lots of attempts had been made to create South-East Asian regional organizations, aiming at guaranteeing the security against the Soviet influence. Among these, the Southeast Asian Association, that unites the Philippines, Thailand and Malesia, wasn’t able to be concreate, due to some conflicts among the members. These in successes highlighted the need for a structure which involved also more influent countries, like Indonesia. 

Following some attempts, in August 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was born. The event took place in the main room of the Foreign Affairs Department, in Bangkok, where the Foreign Ministers of Malesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand met and signed the foundation act of the organization, the ASEAN’s Declaration. These five leaders, are nowadays known as the founders of one one the more influent and successful intergovernative organizations in the developing countries. During the years, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam joined the organization, all having one common vision which is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

The Bangkok Declaration, a document made up by five articles, marks the establishment of the association, dedicated to the regional cooperation among Southeast Asian countries. In the Declaration the main objectives are describes: they involve economy, culture, education, technology and social issues. Among the main goals, there is also the promotion of peace and regional stability, which are founded on the respect of justice, of the rule of law and the principles written in the UN’s Charter. 

Moreover, the document establishes that ASEAS can be joined by all those countries that share its principles and objectives. The Declaration, highlighting the bond among its member states, underlines the “total will of the Southeast Asian countries to be unified under the values of friendship and cooperation and to guarantee, through common efforts and sacrifices, to their people and future generations peace, freedom and prosperity”.   

Cooperation for the security in ASEAN

Even if the security was one of the first objectives, ASEAN didn’t receive the any helps for military politics. However, the collapse of anti-Soviet regimes in South Vietnam and Cambodia in 1975, brought the organization to reinforce its political role in order to confine the threat represented by Communist Vietnam. After having declare the Southeast Asian as a “peaceful, freedom and neutrality area” (ZOPFAN) in 1971, ASEAN made a step forwards in the Bali’s Conference in 1976. Two fundamental agreements were signed: the Declaration of Concord of ASEAN, focused on the economic cooperation for security, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), that promotes multilateral cooperation and engage the member states to solve the conflicts through the dialogue. TAC, opened also for non-member states, that share the same main principles, became a global diplomatic body. Among its members, there are also the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, India and Japan and their presence underline the key role of the regional governance and the promotion of the international dialogue. 

Between 1978 and 1990, the occupation of Cambodia by Vietnam made ASEAN at the center of the international eyes, thanks to its diplomatic role in managing the conflict among the Communist soviet part (Vietnam) and Chinese (Cambodia). The best achievement of this phase was the adhesion of Vietnam and Cambodia, in 1995 and 1999, highlighting the importance of cooperation and reinforcing ASEAN. 

With the fall of the Wall of Berlin and the resolution of the Cambodian crisis, ASEAN increased its political role. In 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was created: a platform of informal dialog among Foreign Ministers of 25 countries, among which United States, China, Japan, European Union and India. ARF aims at promoting trust and transparency, facing regional security issues in an inclusive and collaborative context. 

Economic cooperation of ASEAN

At the beginning, attempts to promote the economic cooperation among its members failed due to the strong internal competitiveness, despite the European Economic Community’s advice to act like a global block. The economic cooperation of ASEAN was influenced by two contrasting factors: the need for avoiding the emarginati of Southeast Asiatic countries in the globalization, particularly to attract foreign investments, and the fear of being dominated by foreign powers, like United States and global capitals. 

In 1989, after the adhesion to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a United States-guided interregional forum, ASEAN launched in 1992 the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), similar to the North American agreement for the free trade and the European internal market. The aim was to strengthen the competitiveness among the members, in particular towards China. AFTA aims at creating the conditions to allow ASEAN’s countries to compete with China in attracting foreign investments. 

Initially, it aims at reducing the customs tariffs between zero and 5% in 15 years, but this limit was reduced to 10 years, in 1994. The Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) was signed in January, 1992, in Singapore, and came into force in 1993. In 1995, AFTA brought to an integration of market, reducing the tariffs below 5% and 60% of duty-free products. 

In 1997, the Asian economic crisis made the ASEAN falters, because it was incapable of giving answers due to the contrasting national interests, and highlighted the reluctance of the United States to intervene for the economies in difficulties. ASEAN adopted new policies, as the Hanoi Action Plan in 1998, aiming at the acceleration of ASEAN, the creation of an investments ASEAN area (AIA) and the liberalization of services. Moreover, the “ASEAN+3” meetings, started in 1996 with Japan, South Korean and China, were relaunched to reinforce the regional economy and contrast the American influence in APEC. 

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