asean 10avr02 vtv
from vietnam television
By Nguyen Phuong Binh
When ASEAN becomes a close economic cooperation grouping, it will have firmer foothold in APEC, reaffirming its position in Asia and the Pacific.
Having faced difficulties and suffered consequences of the regional financial and economic crisis more than two years, the economic recovery of almost all ASEAN countries today has become more evident, bringing back the some vitality and brilliance to this organisation. Would this help restore people's confidence in ASEAN's sustained recovery, in the greater role which this organisation can play in Asia and the Pacific in the future?
Many analysts believe that when ASEAN's economic strength declined, its credibility and political power diminished and its role in the region and the world was affected. The economic crisis and political changes in the region seemed to force ASEAN countries to accept the bigger role of the United States, other powerful countries, and the International Monetary Fund. At the opening ceremony of the 6th ASEAN Summit in December 1998 in Hanoi, Singaporean Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong stated: “Since the onset of the Asian financial-economic crisis, some ASEAN partners became suspicious of the future of ASEAN and took this organisation less seriously than before and that ASEAN countries therefore needed to assist each other to tackle economic difficulties and exerted greater influence on the international arena to compete against other regional economic groupings like EU and NAFTA”.
ASEAN's role and position in the region and in the international arena, therefore, will depend, to a great extent, on how ASEAN address as difficulties and challenges that each country and the whole group are facing. In the immediate future, on the one hand, ASEAN has to work out a correct development policy for the next stage, and on the other, forge ahead to realize the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). This is ASEAN's first long-term cooperation plan - an experiment in which the Member Countries work in a coordinated manner to implement joint cooperation plan, marking the regional linkage at a higher level. The realization of AFTA will encourage ASEAN to take further steps to complete the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA).
Frankly speaking, cooperation and unity in ASEAN have so far been very loose, formalistic and inefficient. ASEAN now encompasses ten countries, with a population of 500 million people, controlling many strategic navigation routes and constitutes the only organisation which is recognised by APEC, having good relations with all major countries. ASEAN has many advantages and a vast and important market with great investment opportunities, large labour force and a geostrategic position to project its influence in Asia and the Pacific. However, these advantages will be of little significance unless ASEAN becomes an economic power, develops its science and technology, and consolidates and strengthens its unity.
The political role which ASEAN has been playing in Asia and the Pacific is evidenced by its leading position in the Regional Forum (ARF). ARF is the only official multi-lateral security forum in Asia and the Pacific which embraces all major countries, playing an important role in regional security.
ASEAN has so far been linked with America through APEC, with Europe through ASEM and can be linked with Latin America with the initiative proposed by Singapore on the Asia-Latin America Forum (ASLAF). ASEAN has become a major link in Asia, in inter-regional and continental cooperation.
ASEAN's position and role in the region in the coming years largely depends on its sustained economic recovery as well as its competitiveness in Asia and the Pacific in politics, economics, commerce, and technology. Accelerating AFTA, implementing AIA and ASEAN's industrial cooperation programme (AICO) are both ASEAN's short-term and long-term priorities. However, this also means that ASEAN should invest more in technology, especially information technology, in human resources
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development when the world is passing through transition towards knowledge economy. The gap of development between countries in the world is the one of knowledge. This is the most serious challenge that ASEAN has to face because of its underdevelopment in science and technology.
Besides those challenges, as many scholars and researchers on Southeast Asia believe, in order to address security issues that Southeast Asia is facing today, what ASEAN must do in the 21st century is to develop regional institutions and mechanisms that could help solve those problems. Thus, ASEAN's ability to continue playing the leading role and controling ARF's next steps will be of great significance, not to mention its decisive role in regional security issues.
Indeed, ASEAN is facing challenges in various areas, from science and technology to security issues which go far beyond the original definition security. Generally speaking, ASEAN's position and role in Asia and the Pacific in general and the region in particular depends, to great extent, on how ASEAN will address and overcome those challenges, in which some of the issues are beyond the capability of one nation and scope of bilateral relationship. Only joint efforts will help ASEAN address its own problems and meet challenges to its bigger role and position in the future.