The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is getting
increasingly assertive as a player in regional and world
arenas.
The group, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand,
Singapore, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Brunei,
has focused on economic integration since as the 1990s.
In 2003, it set the goal of forging the "ASEAN Community" by
2020.
Furthermore, ASEAN sponsored the first East Asian Summit at the
end of last year, gauging the qualifications of the participating
nations with three preconditions: the participants must be ASEAN's
dialogue partners, they must have joined the Treaty of Amity and
Co-operation in Southeast Asia and they must have substantial
relations with ASEAN.
The United States, Russia and the European Union all had to be
content sitting on the bench, watching the events unfold.
This signifies that ASEAN is becoming a new power center in Asia
and is projecting its influence across the Asia-Pacific region.
It is conceived that the "Southeast Asian Community" will
consist of three pillars - the economic community, the security
community and the social and cultural community.
Now the nucleus of the "ASEAN Community" has taken shape. The
ASEAN, for example, has introduced bilateral dialogue mechanisms
with China, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Russia, Australia
and India.
This, dubbed "10 plus 1," formed the inner circle in ASEAN's
"concentric circles" strategic framework. The "10 plus 3" dialogue
mechanism, with 10 ASEAN members on the one side and China ROK and
Japan on the other, forms the second layer.
The East Asian Summit (10 plus 3 plus Australia, New Zealand and
India) forms the outermost layer of this "concentric circles"
framework.
This indicates that ASEAN is by no means a passing trend in
regional co-operation, but a permanent player.
This is really something for ASEAN, with small- and medium-sized
countries - some being the poorest ones in the world - joining
hands. The only "big" group member is Indonesia.
True, ASEAN has its geographic advantages, sitting astride the
Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Moreover, the area boasts rich
natural resources and low-cost labor forces. Also, Southeast Asia
is an area that has huge potential for development.
All of this, plus the organization's deft maneuvers among the
big powers, which of course have conflicting interests enables
ASEAN to present itself to the world as a major player.
ASEAN has been successful in terms of reinforcing its own
position in the regional and world economic and geo-political
arenas.
Southeast Asia, for instance, has become a focal point for the
US anti-terror campaign since September 11 terrorist attacks, and
the United States would hate to see any other big power play a
leading role in the region.
But the traditional hegemonic ways do not work out with the
ASEAN. In view of this, Uncle Sam resorts to courting the ASEAN
countries and supports it to play a bigger role in the region,
steering clear of too much direct involvement.
Japan regards Southeast Asia as its "economic backyard," having
invested heavily in the region.
As a result, Japan has been generously pumping economic aid into
the region, in hopes of augmenting its political capital.
Russia, with its strength declining after the disintegration of
the Soviet Union, closed its military bases in Viet Nam. But it
soon came back to the region as an arms seller.
India is a newcomer on the Southeast Asia scene but is getting
itself actively involved in the regional affairs. It joined the
Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia, signed a
free-trade pact with ASEAN countries and therefore sailed smoothly
into the venue of the East Asian Summit.
In the case of China, Southeast Asia is a vitally important
periphery area. There would be no security for China's southern
parts in the absence of peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
It is also important to let the ASEAN play a major role in
regional affairs and China has been supporting the association to
do so.
ASEAN counted on China's support to put forth the East Asia
co-operation initiative, introduce "10 plus 3" dialogue mechanism
and sponsor the East Asian Summit.
China's encouragement is returned by ASEAN's trust. The country,
therefore, was among the first batch of countries to join the
Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia and was the
first non-ASEAN country to sign free-trade accord with the
organization.
ASEAN is very clear about its disadvantage of being mostly made
up of small and weak nations. But the disadvantage can be turned
into an advantage: Small and weak countries pose no threat to big
powers.
It is therefore wise to maneuver astutely among the big powers
to create a much roomier living space, instead of relying too
heavily on a certain giant.
All this shows that the ASEAN has a good mastery of the tactics
of "balancing one big power against the other." It is the
maneuvering deftness that has catapulted the ASEAN into the
position as an important player.
(China Daily February 13, 2006)
