History of ASEAN

In light of the establishment of the Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015, here is a brief history of how the regional organization came about.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is a regional multilateral organization composed of ten countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, with the first half of the countries founding the organization in 1967. Since then, the Asean has developed into a body with regional and global clout, despite political and economic differences among its member states (Khoman).

In 1961, The Association of Southeast Asia or ASA, which some say served as a precedent for Asean, was formed by the Philippines, the Federation of Malaya, and Thailand. This loose alliance initiated a call for a more integrated regional bloc and thus, the Asean was formed on August 8, 1967 via the Bangkok Declaration. Now comprised of the ASA member states plus Indonesia and Singapore, the Asean has aimed to represent “the collective will of the nations to bind themselves together in friendship and cooperation and, through joint efforts and sacrifices, secure for their peoples and for posterity the blessings of peace, freedom and prosperity.” Its first summit occurred in 1976, with member countries promising non-interference when it comes to domestic matters through the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) (Flores and Abad).

In the following years, the Asean drove towards further expansion and integration. In 1984, Brunei Darussalam joined the organization a week after gaining its independence. This increase in membership carried over in the 1990s, with Vietnam joining in 1995, Laos and Burma in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999. This decade also saw security and economic integration, with the signing of the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT), a framework for the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA), in 1992 and the creation of the Asean Regional Forum (ARF), a long-term security dialogue between Asean members and other countries which has aimed to solve conflicts by peaceful means and preventative diplomacy, in 1994. The following year also saw the ratification of the Nuclear Weapon Free-Zone Treaty (Khoman).

At the turn of the 21st century, the Asean confronted a new chapter in its history, facing new issues and new challenges. One of these is the growing concern on climate change. In 2002, the regional organization signed the Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which proved to be unsuccessful given the Southeast Asian haze in 2006. In 2005, the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network (AWEN) was formed, promoting regional inter-agency and inter-governmental initiative to counter the illegal cross-border trade in endangered flora and fauna. Finally, in 2007, the Cebu Declaration on East Asia Energy, sought to promote energy security and find energy alternatives to conventional fuels (Letchumanan 52-53).

Also, the 2000s, with the growing emphasis on globalization, saw the focus of Asean on developing its international legal and economic presence. To consolidate its international reputation, the Asean held its first East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2005. This annual meeting of leaders of 18 countries (from East Asia, plus Russia and the US) aims to improve existing ties among its participants. The next year, the Aseas was given an observer status at the UN General Assembly and in 2007, the Asean adopted its own constitution, the Asean charter, further creating an image of itself as an international legal entity. In terms of economic development and integration, the Asean has stayed loyal to its goal increasing the region’s competitive advantage as a production base geared for the world market. Some examples of this effort towards making Asean a full-scale economic entity are free trade agreements with countries like Australia and New Zealand in 2009, and the launching of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2012.

This desire to accelerate economic integration is far from over. Looking ahead, the Asean is seeking to pursue a European Union-style single market which involves scraping tariffs and liberalising trade and the movement of labor and capital. In 2015, the regional organization aims to create the Asean Economic Community, which, some suggest, is the most important of the three pillars of the Asean Community.  Its aims are: (1) to create a single market and production base, (2) to develop a highly competitive economic region, (3) to foster equitable economic development, and (4) to create a region fully integrated to the global economy (“Asean Economic Community”).

Needless to say, this creation of an economic community within the region is of severe importance to the rest of the world. The Asean region represents one of biggest markets in the world with its more than 600 million young and dynamic population. It has a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.3 billion and an average per capita GDP of $3,751.However, some critics say that the Asean is still not equipped with the right tools for full economic integration. Aside from the fact that Southeast Asia is composed of economically and politically different countries, Asean is having a difficult time following its own blueprint for economic integration for 2015.