Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was formed on August 8 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand to promote political and
economic cooperation and regional stability. The member countries of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand,
Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. The ASEAN Community is comprised of
three pillars, the Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural
Community. Every year following the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, ASEAN holds its Post-
Ministerial Conference (PMC) to which the Secretary of State is invited. In 1994, ASEAN took
the lead in establishing the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), which now has 27 members.

1.1 Objectives:
The ASEAN nations came together with three main objectives in mind:

 To promote the economic, social and cultural development of the region through
cooperative programmers
 To safeguard the political and economic stability of the region against big power rivalry;
and
 To serve as a forum for the resolution of intra-regional differences.
ASEAN and its Member States reaffirm and adhere to the fundamental principles contained in
the declarations, agreements, conventions, concords, treaties and other instruments
of ASEAN.ASEAN and its Member States shall act in accordance with the following Principles:
 Respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity and national
identity of all ASEAN Member States;
 Shared commitment and collective responsibility in enhancing regional peace, security and
prosperity;
 Renunciation of aggression and of the threat or use of force or other actions in any manner
inconsistent with international law;
 Reliance on peaceful settlement of disputes;
 Non-interference in the internal affairs of ASEAN Member States;
 Respect for the right of every Member State to lead its national existence free from
external interference, subversion and coercion;
 Enhanced consultations on matters seriously affecting the common interest of ASEAN
 Respect for fundamental freedoms, the promotion and protection of human rights, and
the promotion of social justice;
 Upholding the United Nations Charter and international law, including international
humanitarian law, subscribed to by ASEAN Member States;
 Abstention from participation in any policy or activity, including the use of its territory,
pursued by any 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;
 Respect for the different cultures, languages and religions of the peoples of ASEAN, while
emphasizing their common values in the spirit of unity in diversity.
1.3 Contribution:
Cooperation in Industrial Development, Cooperation in Finance and Banking, Cooperation in
Investment, Cooperation in Food, Agriculture and Forestry, Cooperation in Minerals,
Cooperation in Energy, Cooperation in Transportation and Communications, Cooperation in
Tourism, Cooperation in Services, Cooperation in Intellectual Property, Private Sector.
2. Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC)
The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was established in 1989 as an informal
Ministerial-level dialogue group with twelve members. Today APEC has 21 member economies
spread out over four continents. APEC Member Economies work together to sustain economic
growth through a commitment to open trade, investment and economic reform. This is
accomplished by progressively reducing tariffs and other barriers to trade.

2.1 Objectives:

The current member economies represent the rich diversity of the region as well as differing
levels of economic growth. Despite such differences there is a growing sense of common
purpose and cooperation aimed at sustained regional and world growth. In the 1991 Seoul
APEC Declaration, APEC members agreed on specific objectives:

 To sustain the growth and development of the region for the common good of its peoples
and, in this way, to contribute to the growth and development of the world economy;
 To enhance the positive gains, both for the region and the world economy, resulting from
increasing economic interdependence, to include encouraging the flow of goods, services,
capital, and technology;
 To develop and strengthen the open multilateral trading system in the interest of Asia-
Pacific and all other economies; and
 To reduce barriers to trade in goods and services among participants in a manner
consistent with GATT principles, where applicable, and without detriment to other
economies.

2.2 Activities:
APEC aims to strengthen regional economic integration by removing impediments to trade
and investment “at the border”, enhancing supply chain connectivity “across the border” and
improving the business environment “behind the border”. It endeavors to improve the
operating environment for business by reducing the cost of cross-border trade, improving
access to trade information and simplifying regulatory and administrative processes. APEC
also assists member economies build the institutional capacity to implement and take
advantage of the benefits of trade and investment reform. APEC supports the multilateral
trade negotiations underway in the WTO, and complements the goals of the G-20 Framework
for Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth in the Asia-Pacific Region.

2.3 Contribution:
APEC is the premier Asia-Pacific economic forum. Their primary goal is to support sustainable
economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

They are united their drive to build a dynamic and harmonious Asia-Pacific community by
championing free and open trade and investment, promoting and accelerating regional
economic integration, encouraging economic and technical cooperation, enhancing human
security, and facilitating a favorable and sustainable business environment. Our initiatives
turn policy goals into concrete results and agreements into tangible benefits.
Purpose

ASEAN's purpose is to form a common market similar to the European Union. The
ASEAN Economic Community was established in 2015. It is working toward free
movement of goods and services, investment and capital, as well as skilled
labor. It will also create common standards in agriculture and financial services,
intellectual property rights, and consumer protection. These are all necessary to
attract foreign direct investment and promote growth. AEC has identified 611
measures it must implement to achieve its goals.

Member Countries and Their Economies

ASEAN has 10 members. The two largest economies are both founding
members, Indonesia and Thailand. The other eight countries hope to boost their
much smaller economies by exporting to the markets of the larger countries.

Member Joined 2017 GDP (in billions) Exports

Brunei January 7, 1984 $33 Oil
Cambodia April 30, 1999 $64 Clothing, Wood
Indonesia August 8, 1967 $3,243 Palm oil, Machinery
Laos July 23 ,1997 $49 Wood, Coffee
Malaysia August 8, 1967 $926 Electronics, Oil
Myanmar July 23, 1997 $331 Natural gas, Wood
Philippines August 8, 1967 $875 Electronics, Machinery
Singapore August 8, 1967 $514 Electronics, Machinery
Thailand August 8, 1967 $1,229 Autos, Computers
Vietnam July 28, 1995 $644 Clothing, Food

ASEAN Summit

Each year, ASEAN holds a summit hosted by one of its members. On June 23, 2019,
Bangkok hosted the 34nd summit. The ASEAN leaders asked the United States and China
to resolve their trade war. They warned that U.S protectionism is not good for them or
international trade in general. The trade war is a key tool in President Donald Trump's
economic policies.
Members continue to be concerned about China's threat to ASEAN countries' maritime
rights in the South China Sea. China has been extending its reach by building islands.
The South China Sea runs right through ASEAN's territory. It is a hotly contested group
of tiny islands that are sitting on potential reserves of 5.4 billion barrels of oil and 55.1
trillion cubic feet of natural gas. It is also one of the richest fisheries in the world.
Most important to the United States is the South China shipping lane. Through it goes half
of the world's merchant fleet tonnage, representing $5.3 trillion in global trade. Of that,
$1.2 trillion winds up at U.S. ports. In addition, one-third of the world's crude oil is also
shipped through the Sea.
On February 15, 2016, President Barack Obama held a historic U.S.-ASEAN Summit. He
pledged U.S. support for ASEAN rights in the South China Sea. In 2010, former Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton declared at the 2010 ASEAN Summit that the freedom of
navigation through the Sea was of national interest. Many fear that rivalry over competing
claims in the South China Sea could lead to armed conflict in the region.

Brunei Darussalam

Head of State : His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah
Capital : Bandar Seri Begawan

Language(s) : Malay, English

Currency : B$ (Brunei Dollar)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade of Brunei Darussalam Website: www.mfa.gov.bn

Cambodia

Head of State : His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni

Head of Government : Prime Minister Hun Sen

Capital : Phnom Penh

Language : Khmer

Currency : Riel

Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation of Cambodia Website: www.mfaic.gov.kh

Indonesia

Head of State : President Joko Widodo

Capital : Jakarta

Language : Indonesian

Currency : Rupiah

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Website: www.kemlu.go.id

Lao PDR

Head of State : President Bounnhang Vorachith

Head of Government : Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith

Capital : Vientiane

Language : Lao
Currency : Kip

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lao PDR Website: www.mofa.gov.la

Malaysia

Head of State : His Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V

Head of Government : The Honourable Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Prime Minister

Capital : Kuala Lumpur

Language(s) : Malay, English, Chinese, Tamil

Currency : Ringgit

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Website: www.kln.gov.my

ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat Website: www.kln.gov.my/myasean

Myanmar

Head of State : U Win Myint

Capital : Nay Pyi Taw

Language : Myanmar

Currency : Kyat

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar Website: www.mofa.gov.mm

Philippines

Head of State : President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

Capital : Manila

Language(s) : Filipino, English, Spanish

Currency : Peso

Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Website: www.dfa.gov.ph

Singapore

Head of State : President Halimah Yacob

Head of Government : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Capital : Singapore

Language(s) : English, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil

Currency : S$ (Singapore Dollar)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore Website: www.mfa.gov.sg

Thailand

Head of State : His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun

Head of Government : Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha

Capital : Bangkok

Language : Thai

Currency : Baht

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Website: www.mfa.go.th

Viet Nam

Head of State : Nguyen Phu Trong

Head of Government : Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Capital : Ha Noi

Language : Vietnamese

Currency : Dong

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam Website: www.mofa.gov.vn