Thayer Consultancy Background Brief:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

ASEAN 40th and 41st Summits in
Cambodia
November 9, 2022

ASEAN leaders will gather in Cambodia for a series of summit meetings. We request
your views on the following questions:
Q1. In your view, what are the most important achievements of ASEAN cooperation
over the past 55 years? How has Viet Nam contributed to these achievements?
ANSWER: ASEAN has attained five major achievements. First, it internalized four
norms known collectively as the ASEAN Way – dialogue and consultation, consensus,
non-interference and moving at a pace comfortable to all. ASEAN members renounced
force by adopting the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Second, ASEAN expanded
beyond its first five founding members to include Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar
and Cambodia and is likely to add Timor-Leste. Third, ASEAN has become highly
institutionalized with regular ministerial meetings and leaders’ summits. ASEAN
established a permanent Secretariat in Indonesia and adopted a Charter to formalize
relations among its members. Fourth, ASEAN promoted regional integration through
the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and expanded this to Community Building based on
three pillars – Political Security, Economic, Socio-Cultural. Fifth, ASEAN formalized
relations with other states through dialogue and sectoral partnerships and by
establishing ASEAN-led multilateral institutions: ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East
Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus), Expanded
ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the Asia-Europe Meeting.
Vietnam has been a leader in ASEAN with initiatives to reduce the development gap
between less developed members and more developed members. A Vietnamese
senior official, Le Luong Minh, successfully served as ASEAN Secretary General. And,
as ASEAN Chair, Vietnam proactively led a region-wide effort to combat the COVID-19
pandemic.
Q2. Could you evaluate the significance of these summit meetings in the face of major
headwinds like the Russia-Ukraine war, Myanmar situation, strategic competition
among major powers, and rising inflation across the world.
ANSWER: ASEAN’s international importance rests on its convening power to hold
annual meetings of a network of ASEAN-related multilateral institutions, such as
ASEAN Plus 1, ARF, EAS, ADMM Plus, which the major powers attend.
ASEAN Summits provide the opportunity for ASEAN Plus 1 meetings with government
leaders to deal specifically with bilateral matters. The EAS is the major leaders led
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institution in the Indo-Pacific and it serves as a strategic dialogue forum on political,

economic and security issues. ASEAN by itself cannot solve global problems on its own
but it can promote dialogue and consultation among its dialogue partners.
ASEAN functions by consensus decision-making and therefore its Chairman’s
statements are often general. ASEAN members vote differently on various resolutions
considered by the UN General Assembly. Although ASEAN members agreed on a Five
Point Consensus to deal with the situation in Myanmar, it has been unable to influence
the military junta.
ASEAN, however, has been able to agree on an ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
ASEAN will not take sides in major power competition and expects major powers to
support ASEAN unity and centrality in the region’s security architecture.
ASEAN performs much better in dealing with economic issues through free trade
agreements with China, Australia-New Zealand, Japan, India, South Korea and Hong
Kong as well as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
Q3. What are the core principles that ASEAN should adhere to regardless of the
regional and international situation?
ANSWER: ASEAN should follow the core principles and norms in (1) the Five Principles
of Peaceful Coexistence (mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,
mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and
mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence), (2) the ASEAN Way (inclusivity, dialogue
and consultation, consensus, non-interference, and moving at a pace comfortable to
all), and (3) the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (peaceful settlement of disputes,
renunciation of the threat or use of force and promotion of the rule of law).
Q4. What should ASEAN and Viet Nam do to maintain its central organizing role in the
region’s emerging architecture? How should ASEAN navigate in the current fast and
unpredictable changing environment?
ANSWER: ASEAN and Vietnam should be more proactive in asserting ASEAN unity and
centrality at a time of heightened tensions among the major power. Specifically, this
means not being passive and reactive to developments, but proactive in promoting
initiatives to resolve outstanding problems.
The situation in Myanmar is a prime example. It is clear that the military junta is not
yet ready to work with the ASEAN Special Envoy to implement the Five Points
Consensus. ASEAN should debate a number of options including but not limited to:
naming and shaming the military junta, identifying a non-political leader to represent
Myanmar at ASEAN meetings, make contact with the National Unity Government and
funnel humanitarian assistance directly to it, consider lodging claims of crimes against
humanity before the International Criminal Court, press the UN Security Council to
instigate a global embargo on the sale of weapons to Myanmar, and finally take steps
to expel Myanmar from ASEAN and isolate it internationally.
Q5. What do you expect from these summit meetings?
ANSWER: ASEAN should hold two separate summit meetings in a calendar year.
ASEAN has permitted its less developed members who lack the human resources to
hold the two summits back to back. This is what will happen in Phnom Penh next week.
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This means there will be a time lag in reviewing the implementation of programs and
a compression of decision-making.
ASEAN summits are predictable because the final agenda is invariably the result of
intensive work at lower levels, senior levels and ministerial levels. There are two major
baskets of issues the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits will consider: ASEAN Community
Building and ASEAN External Relations.
The ASEAN Summits will take note of and approve recommendations on the ASEAN
Community Post-2025 Vision, Review of the implementation of the ASEAN Charter,
ASEAN’s response to COVID-19, ASEAN connectivity, Initiative for ASEAN Integration,
sub-regional cooperation, and the ASEAN junior fellowship program within the ASEAN
Secretariat.
The ASEAN Summits will discuss the following issues in ASEAN’s external relations:
Timor-Leste’s application for membership, ASEAN centrality and relations with
dialogue partners, the situation in Myanmar, the war in Ukraine, South China Sea, and
denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. The situation in Myanmar will be a key issue
with Malaysia and Indonesia pressing for a harder line. Indonesia, the ASEAN Chair for
2023, is reportedly drafting a road map to implement the Five Point Consensus and
ASEAN leaders will endorse this initiative.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “ASEAN 40th and 41st Summits in Cambodia,”
Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, November 9, 2022. All background briefs are
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Thayer Consultancy provides political analysis of current regional security issues and
other research support to selected clients. Thayer Consultancy was officially
registered as a small business in Australia in 2002.