ASEAN Summit

The ASEAN Summit is a semiannual

meeting held by the members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in relation to economic, political,
security, and socio-cultural development of
Southeast Asian countries. In addition, it
serves as a prominent regional (Asia) and
international (worldwide) conference, with
world leaders attending its related
summits and meetings to discuss various
problems and global issues, strengthening
cooperation, and making decisions.[1][2]
The summit has been praised by world
leaders for its success and ability to
produce results on a global level.[3]
 ASEAN Summit

ASEAN members shown in green.

Status Active

Genre Diplomatic conference

Frequency Semi-annually

Years active 51

Inaugurated February 24, 1976

Most recent 2017

The league of ASEAN is currently
connected with other countries who aim to
participate on the missions and visions of
the league. The league conducts annual
meetings with other countries in an
organization collectively known as the
ASEAN dialogue partners. ASEAN +3 adds
China, Japan, and South Korea. The formal
summits are held in three days. The usual
itinerary are as follows:

ASEAN leaders hold an internal

organization meeting.
ASEAN leaders hold a conference
together with foreign ministers of the
ASEAN Regional Forum.
 Leaders of three ASEAN Dialogue
Partners (also known as ASEAN +3),
namely China, Japan, and South Korea,
hold a meeting with the ASEAN leaders.
And a separate meeting is set for
leaders of two ASEAN Dialogue Partners
(also known as ASEAN +CER), namely
Australia and New Zealand.

History

A group photograph of all heads of states and

governments at the 10th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane,
Laos on November 29, 2004
The 1st ASEAN Summit was held in
February 1976 in Bali, Indonesia.[4] At this
summit, ASEAN expressed its readiness to
"develop fruitful relations" and mutually
beneficial cooperation with other countries
of the region.[5] The ASEAN leaders signed
the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in
Southeast Asia. The 2nd ASEAN summit
held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August
1977 was the occasion for the first
summit meeting between Japan and
ASEAN. Japan expressed its intention to
promote cooperation with ASEAN.[6]
At the 9th ASEAN Summit, a meeting in
October 2003 in Bali, Indonesia, the
leaders of the member states signed a
declaration known as the Bali Concord II in
which they agreed to pursue closer
economic integration by 2020.

According to the declaration, "an ASEAN

Community" would be set upon three
pillars, "namely political and security
cooperation, economic cooperation, and
socio-cultural cooperation; For the purpose
of ensuring durable peace, stability and
shared prosperity in the region." The plan
envisaged a region with a population of
500 million and annual trade of US$720
billion. Also, a free trade area would be
established in the region by 2020. ASEAN's
leaders also discussed setting up a
security community alongside the
economic one, though without any formal
military alliance.

During the same meeting, China and

ASEAN also agreed to work faster toward
a mutual trade agreement which would
create the world's most populous market,
with 1.7 billion consumers. Japan also
signed an agreement pledging to reduce
tariff and non-tariff barriers with ASEAN
members.
At the 11th ASEAN summit in December
2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, several
main issues were discussed:

the spread of bird flu

the South Thailand insurgency
democracy in Myanmar
crude oil prices fluctuation and poverty
investment and trade
ASEAN Charter

Immediately after the summit ended, the

inaugural East Asia Summit was held.

The 12th ASEAN Summit was originally

set to be hosted in Cebu in the Philippines
in December 2006. However, on December
8, organizers decided to move the summit
schedule to January 2007 due to Typhoon
Seniang hitting the area. Metro Cebu
jointly hosted various events of the
summit. The actual conference was held
at the Cebu International Convention
Centre in Mandaue, while the Shangri-La
Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Lapu-Lapu
provided accommodations for delegates
and venues for smaller meetings. At the
summit, the member countries of ASEAN
signed five agreements pertaining to
continuing integration of ASEAN and
enhancing political, economic, and social
cooperation in the region:[7]
 Cebu Declaration Towards a Caring and
Sharing Community
Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint for the
ASEAN Charter
Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of
the Establishment of an ASEAN
Community by 2015
ASEAN Declaration on the Protection
and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant
Workers
ASEAN Convention on Counter
Terrorism

The 13th ASEAN Summit was held in

November 2007 in Singapore. The key
theme of the discussions was set to be on
"Energy, Environment, Climate Change and
Sustainable Development". In line with the
theme, the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on
Environmental Sustainability was signed at
the summit and a proposal to work on a
Singapore Declaration on the Environment
was issued at the Third East Asia Summit.
The leaders endorsed the ASEAN
Economic Community Blueprint, which
would help chart concrete targets for
establishing a single market and
production base in the ASEAN region by
2015. Other documents that were
negotiated and signed include:
 ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement
on Architectural Services
ASEAN Framework Arrangement for the
Mutual Recognition of Surveying
Qualifications
Protocol to Implement the Sixth
Package of Commitments under the
ASEAN Framework Agreement on
Services
Agreements on trade and areas of co-
operation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners

The 15th ASEAN Summit was held in

October 2009 in Hua Hin and Cha-am,
Thailand.[8] It involved the leaders of
ASEAN member states together with their
dialogue partners from China, Japan,
South Korea, India, Australia, and New
Zealand. A flurry of meetings among Asian
leaders on the last day raised the
possibility of forging a regional free trade
pact, which is likely to be raised at the
2009 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
summit.

The 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits were

held in September 2016 in Vientiane, Laos.
The year 2016 also marked the start off of
the implementation of the ASEAN
Community Vision 2025. Apart from the
two main summits, other sideline summits
under the umbrella of ASEAN were also
held. There were nine Summits with
ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners under the
ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three, and
East Asia Summit cooperation
frameworks. Also, under the sub-regional
cooperation framework, the Mekong-
Japan Summit was held. This occasion
also provided a platform for ASEAN
Leaders to meet with rRepresentatives of
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly
(AIPA), Representatives of ASEAN Youth,
and ASEAN Business Advisory Council.
The main theme discussed at the summits
was regarding the further commitment for
the implementation of the ASEAN
Community Vision 2025 and the three
community Blueprints. ASEAN Leaders
also signed the ASEAN Declaration on One
ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding
to Disasters as One in the Region and
Outside the Region.

South China Sea issues also came atop

among important agenda at the summit.
At the summit, the Philippines and Japan
expressed serious concerns over China’s
maritime territorial claims and building of
artificial islands in the South China Sea.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, called
for peaceful settlement of dispute
between China and the Philippines. The
Philippines' President, Rodrigo Duterte,
reaffirmed at the meeting that the dispute
should be solved “within the boundaries of
the law, referring to the arbitral ruling
under the Philippines v. China case by the
Permanent Court of Arbitration in July
2016. The draft statement of meetings
included lukewarm criticism over China’s
actions in the South China Sea. However,
there were no statements about ASEAN’s
position on the arbitral ruling.[9] No
multilateral statement has been clearly
made to reflect the voice of the ASEAN
community as a whole on the South China
Sea issues. China reiterated that there
should be no interference and the issues
should be dealt in a bilateral manner.
ASEAN Summit
Under the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN
Summit is the supreme policy-making
body of ASEAN. It comprises the heads of
state or government of each member
state. Accordingly, the Chairmanship of
ASEAN rotates annually, based on the
alphabetical order of the English names of
ASEAN member states. The member state
assuming the Chairmanship holds it for
one calendar year, and chairs the ASEAN
Summit and related summits, the ASEAN
Coordinating Council, the three ASEAN
Community Councils, relevant ASEAN
Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and senior
officials, and the Committee of Permanent
Representatives. In addition, the Secretary
General of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations is appointed by the ASEAN
Summit, selected from among nationals of
ASEAN member states based on
alphabetical rotation.[10] The Chairmanship
of ASEAN for 2019 is held by Thailand.[11]

   Chairmanship of ASEAN
 ASEAN Summit

Member state Representative Member state Representative Member state Representat

–
Association of – Kingdom of
Southeast Asian Nation of Cambodia
Nations Brunei, –
– the Abode of Member since
Member since Peace 30 April 1999
1 January 2018 – Prime Minister
– Member since Sultan 1985–1993
Election 2017 Secretary 7 January 1984 Hassanal Second Prime
Next by 2022 General Prime Minister Bolkiah Minister 1993– Prime Minis
Lim Jock Hoi 1984–present 1998 Hun Sen
(House of (CPP)
( Brunei) – Bolkiah) –
Ascended Election 1998,
1967 2003, 2008,
2013, 2018
Next by 2023

–
Malaysia
– –
– Lao People's Member since
Republic of 10 May 2018
Democratic
Indonesia Republic Prime Minister
– 1981–2003
–
Member since Member since Prime Minister –
20 October 2014 President Prime Minis
Joko Widodo 20 April 2016 Thongloun Election 1982, Mahathir
– 1986, 1990,
Election 2014 (PDI-P) – Sisoulith Mohamad
Election 2016 (LPRP) 1995, 1999, (PH)
Next in 2019 Next by 2021 2018
Next by 2023

–
– Republic of the –
Republic of the Philippines Republic of
Union of – Singapore
Myanmar Member since –
– 30 June 2016 Member since
State President
Member since –
Rodrigo 12 August 2004 Prime Minis
6 April 2016 Counsellor Election 2016 – Lee Hsien
Aung San Suu Next in 2022 Duterte Loong
– (PDP–Laban) Election 2006,
Kyi (PAP)
(NLD)
 Election 2015 2011, 2015
Next in 2020 Next by 2021

–
– Socialist
Kingdom of Republic of
Thailand Vietnam
– – Prime Minister
Member since Prime Minister Member since of the
24 August 2014 Prayut Chan- 7 April 2016 Government
– – Nguyễn Xuân
o-cha Phúc
Next by 2019 (Military) Election 2016
Next by 2021 (CPV)

ASEAN Summit Meetings

The ASEAN Summit Meetings are held by
its ten member states annually. Under the
ASEAN Charter, ASEAN Summit Meetings
are held twice annually, to be hosted by the
member state holding the ASEAN
Chairmanship. Further special or ad hoc
meetings may be convened whenever
necessary, to be chaired by the member
state holding the ASEAN Chairmanship at
venues to be agreed upon by the ASEAN
member states.[10]
ASEAN Formal Summits
No. Date Country Host City/ies Host leader

23–24 February
1st Bali President Suharto
1976  Indonesia

2nd 4–5 August 1977 Kuala Lumpur Prime Minister Hussein Onn
 Malaysia

14–15 December
3rd Manila President Corazon Aquino
1987  Philippines

4th 27‒29 January 1992 Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong
 Singapore

14‒15 December Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-

5th Bangkok
1995  Thailand archa

15‒16 December
6th Hanoi Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải
1998  Vietnam

7th 5‒6 November 2001  Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

8th 4‒5 November 2002 Phnom Penh Prime Minister Hun Sen
 Cambodia

President Megawati
9th 7‒8 October 2003 Bali
 Indonesia Sukarnoputri

29‒30 November Prime Minister Bounnhang

10th  Laos Vientiane
2004 Vorachith

12‒14 December Prime Minister Abdullah

11th Kuala Lumpur
2005  Malaysia Ahmad Badawi

11‒14 January President Gloria Macapagal

12th Mandaue
20071  Philippines2 Arroyo

18‒22 November Prime Minister Lee Hsien

13th Singapore
2007  Singapore Loong

27 February–1
Cha-am and Hua Hin
14th3 March 2009 Prime Minister Abhisit
10–11 April 2009  Thailand Pattaya Vejjajiva

15th 23−25 October 2009 Cha-am and Hua Hin

16th 8–9 April 2010 Hanoi Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn

 28–31 October  Vietnam Dũng
17th
2010

18th 7–8 May 2011 Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang
14–19 November
19th  Indonesia4 Bali Yudhoyono
2011

20th 3–4 April 2012

17–20 November Phnom Penh Prime Minister Hun Sen

21st  Cambodia
2012

22nd 24–25 April 2013

 Brunei Bandar Seri Begawan Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
23rd 9–10 October 2013

24th 10–11 May 2014

10–12 November Naypyidaw President Thein Sein

25th  Myanmar
2014

Kuala Lumpur and

26th 26‒27 April 2015
Langkawi
Prime Minister Najib Razak
18–22 November  Malaysia
27th Kuala Lumpur
2015

28th 6–8 September Prime Minister Thongloun

 Laos Vientiane
29th 2016 Sisoulith

30th 28–29 April 2017

10–14 November Pasay President Rodrigo Duterte

31st  Philippines
2017

32nd 27–28 April 2018

Prime Minister Lee Hsien
11–15 November Singapore
33rd  Singapore Loong
2018

34th April/May 2019

October/November TBA Prime Minister TBA

35th  Thailand
2019

36th April/May 2020

October/November TBA Prime Minister TBA

37th  Vietnam
2020
1
Originally scheduled from 10‒14 December 2006, but rescheduled due to Typhoon Seniang.
2
Hosted the summit because Myanmar backed out due to enormous pressure from the United
States and the European Union.
3
This summit consisted of two parts.
The first part was moved from 12‒17 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 in 2011 by swapping years with  Brunei, as it played host to 2013 APEC
Summit (along with the possibility of hosting the 2013 G20 summit, which ultimately fell to Russia).

During the fifth summit in Bangkok, the

leaders decided to meet "informally"
between each formal summit.

ASEAN Informal Summits

No Date Country Host Host leader

1st 30 November 1996  Indonesia Jakarta President Suharto

14‒16 December Prime Minister

2nd  Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
1997 Mahathir Mohamad

27‒28 November President Joseph

3rd  Philippines Pasay
1999 Estrada

22‒25 November Prime Minister Goh

4th  Singapore Singapore
2000 Chok Tong

Issues
Thailand
Prior to the 10th ASEAN summit, Thai
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
publicly threatened to walk out of the
meeting if any member states raised the
issue of the Thai government's handling of
the insurgency in south Thailand. He
stated "If the topic is raised, I will fly back
home".[12] This is notable since leaders
have often shown solidarity with each
other over high-profile issues such as East
Timor and the handling by Myanmar of
Aung San Suu Kyi. Furthermore, one of the
principles on which ASEAN was founded is
a stated principle of non-interference in
the internal affairs of other member states,
as enshrined in the Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Any
tension has been kept from the public view
and leaders have avoided confrontational
statements in public.

Indonesia (the world's most populous

Muslim country) and Malaysia, however,
were particularly vehement in their
condemnation over the Thai government's
handling of the events in south Thailand,
with a former Malaysian Prime minister
going to the extent of suggesting that the
Southern Thai states should be given
autonomy power. The Malaysian foreign
minister further was quoted as saying that
there is no such thing as absolute non-
interference. It is thought that Thaksin's
statement was made following the
Malaysian government's passing of an
opposition resolution condemning the Thai
government for the death of at least 85
Muslim protestors in southern Thailand.

Laotian spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy

stated "I think we have a golden rule, that
is non-interference in the internal affairs of
each other." He added "It is a courtesy
among the leaders, among the ministers,
that if one of the leaders does not wish to
discuss a question, all the leaders will
respect it."
Myanmar (Burma)

Also prior to the 10th ASEAN Summit,

Myanmar had taken steps to rehabilitate
itself by releasing up to 9,000 prisoners
who were imprisoned under the old junta.
Myanmar's new leader General Soe Win
attended the conference and foreign
minister Nyan Win had already made pre-
summit press releases on Myanmar's
continuing commitment for the roadmap
to democracy.

Myanmar was due to hold the chair of

ASEAN in 2006. This however had
attracted criticism from various factions.
The United States and the European Union
publicly announced that they might
boycott any ASEAN-related event if
Myanmar was the chair. In July 2005,
during an ASEAN foreign minister meeting
in Vientiane, Myanmar decided to
postpone its turn. The Philippines, the
country next in line, instead held the
ASEAN Chairmanship in 2006.

Apart from the United States, various

ASEAN lawmakers have called Myanmar's
membership to be stripped due to its poor
human rights record.[13]

East Timor
The new nation of East Timor, previously
ruled by Indonesia, has had a long struggle
with ASEAN. East Timor, during its long
process towards independence, has
sought to have observer status in ASEAN,
much like Papua New Guinea, and
eventually official member status.
Historically, ASEAN countries supported
Indonesia over East Timor, with the
Philippines and Malaysia barring overseas
NGOs from participating in East Timor
conferences in the late 1990s. More
recently, Myanmar opposed granting
observer status to East Timor because of
the latter's support for opposition leader
Aung San Suu Kyi.
In 2002, East Timor was recognised as an
observer of ASEAN and joined the ASEAN
Regional Forum in 2005.[14][15] In
December 2005, the government of East
Timor stated that the nation would be a
member of ASEAN by 2011.[16]

The nation's then-President, Xanana

Gusmão, had already applied for
membership at the 39th Annual Ministerial
Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers held
in Kuala Lumpur in 2006.[17] Yet the
request were still pending including the
independent state of Papua New Guinea.

14th ASEAN Summit and

Protest

The 14th ASEAN summit was held from

February to March 2009 in Hua Hin,
Thailand. It was originally scheduled for
December 2008, but was postponed due
to the 2008 Thai political crisis. At the
summit, ASEAN leaders signed the Cha-
am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap
for an ASEAN Community and adopted
various other documents, including the
ASEAN Political-Security Community
Blueprint and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural
Community Blueprint.[18] The summit was
reconvened in Pattaya, Thailand in April
2009. This second part of the summit was
to consist of various meetings between
the ASEAN members and one or more
non-ASEAN countries from 10–12 April.
However, it was aborted on 11 April when
hundreds of protesters forced their way
past security forces into the venue.[19]
Many of the visiting leaders had to be
evacuated from the venue by helicopter to
a nearby military airbase, although none
were injured. The protests were part of the
2008 Thai political crisis and were not
believed to be directed at ASEAN leaders,
but rather at Thailand's government.[20]

Free Trade
In 2004, Australia and New Zealand
started the negotiation for a free trade
deal with ASEAN. The ASEAN-Australia-
New Zealand Free Trade Area was
established at the 14th ASEAN Summit in
2009.[21] It is one of Asia's largest trade
arrangements and covers trade in goods,
investment and services, financial
services, telecommunications, electronic
commerce, and intellectual property.[22]
The aim of the negotiation is to
significantly reduce trade barriers by
2016.[23][24]

Treaty of Amity and

Cooperation
ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
in Southeast Asia is open for non-ASEAN
states to accede. It requires the
contracting parties to forgo any threat or
use of force against each other.

The foreign ministers of ASEAN member

states determined that invitation to the
inaugural East Asia Summit, the first of
which was held in late 2005 and hosted by
Malaysia, was to be restricted to parties to
the treaty. The Howard Government in
Australia, although seeking invitation, was
reluctant to accede to the treaty, claiming
that it was out of date and might conflict
with obligations and rights it had under
other treaties. However, with entry to the
summit confined to parties to the treaty,
and with domestic pressure to sign,
Australia decided in early 2005 to sign the
treaty on the condition that its rights under
the Charter of the United Nations are
recognized as inalienable. Upon the
announcement of accession, Australian
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was
asked whether or not he considered
himself an east Asian, he replied: "Do I
consider myself an East Asian? ... I
consider myself an Australian."

References
1. Denis Hew (2005). Roadmap to an Asean
Economic Community. Institute of
Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981-230-
347-2.
2. "World leaders in Manila: Key events at
ASEAN" .
3. "World leaders praised the Philippines on
how it hosted the ASEAN Summit | UNTV
News" . www.untvweb.com.
4. "Economic Achievement" . ASEAN.
Archived from the original on 15 July
2009. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
5. "External Relations" . ASEAN. Archived
from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved
12 April 2009.
6. "Relation between Japan and ASEAN" .
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan.
December 1998. Retrieved 12 April 2009.
7. "ASEAN Leaders Sign Five Agreements at
the 12th ASEAN Summit, Cebu, the
Philippines, 13 January 2007" (Press
release). ASEAN Secretariat. 13 January
2007. Archived from the original on 28
January 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
"12th ASEAN Summit, five."
8. Hội nghị thượng đỉnh ASEAN: Thái Lan
huy động lực lượng an ninh lớn (in
Vietnamese)
9. "Beijing's South China Sea claims
scrutinised at summit" . Al Jazeera.
September 8, 2016.
10. "The ASEAN Charter" (PDF).
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Retrieved December 20, 2018.
11. "ASEAN Chair" . Association of
Southeast Asian Nations. Retrieved
December 20, 2018.
12. "Thai PM warns of Asean walkout" .
Dawn. November 26, 2004. Retrieved
December 20, 2018.
13. "ASEAN lawmakers want Myanmar
membership stripped" . Kuala Lumpur:
Reuters. 28 November 2004. Archived from
the original on 28 November 2004.
Retrieved 22 April 2009.
14. East Timor Needs Five Years to Join
ASEAN: PM Archived 9 June 2007 at the
Wayback Machine., AFP, 27 July 2006,
accessed on 22 December 2008
15. Excerpts from the Joint Communique
of the 35th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting,
Bandar Seri Begawan, 29-30 July 2002
16. Xinhua - English
17. "East Timor ASEAN bid" . The Sydney
Morning Herald. 23 July 2006.
18. "Outcome Documents" . Archived from
the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved
9 March 2009.
19. Fuller, Thomas (12 April 2009).
"Thailand Cancels Summit After Protests" .
The New York Times. Archived from the
original on 14 October 2010. Retrieved
12 April 2009.
20. Thai protesters force Asia summit
cancellation Archived 11 June 2009 at
WebCite by Bill Tarrant, Reuters (printed in
the Ottawa Citizen), 11 April 2009.
21. "Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-
Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area"
(PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on
20 March 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
22. "Trade deal signed at Asean summit" .
Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 4
March 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
23. Aust wins invite to next year's ASEAN
summit. 1 December 2004. ABC News
Online
24. Southeast Asia Leaders Advance Free
Trade with Six Major Countries Archived
16 April 2005 at the Wayback Machine.

External links
 Official and special interest
ASEAN Official Website
12th Summit Special News Site
12th ASEAN Summit Special Coverage
Site
Special Coverage Site

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
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