What Is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations?

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), referred to as ASEAN. It was established in Bangkok, Thailand on August 8, 1967, and has 10 member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam. The total area is about 4.49 million square kilometers and the population is 642 million (as of 2017). The secretariat is located in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. ^[1]

Association of Southeast Asian Nations

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), referred to as ASEAN. Established in Thailand on August 8, 1967

ASEAN has become a political, economic, and security integration cooperation organization based on economic cooperation in Southeast Asia, and has established a series of cooperation mechanisms.

The main ASEAN institutions are summits, foreign ministers 'meetings, standing committees, economic ministers' meetings, other ministerial meetings, secretariats, specialized committees, and private and semi-official institutions. The summit is the highest decision-making body of ASEAN. The meeting is held twice a year. It has become the most important mechanism for ASEAN countries to discuss plans for regional cooperation.

The Foreign Ministers' Meeting is the body that formulates the basic policies of ASEAN and is held annually in rotation among member states. The Standing Committee meets every two months to discuss ASEAN foreign policy and implement specific cooperation projects.

The ASEAN Summit is the highest decision-making body of the ASEAN. It is composed of the heads of state or governments of the member states, and the ASEAN countries take turns to chair.

The current presidency is Thailand and will take over in January 2019 for a one-year term.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN is the Chief Administrative Officer of ASEAN and is responsible to the ASEAN Summit. It is recommended by senior ASEAN countries to take turns serving for five years. ASEAN Secretariat in Indonesia

Brunei, Cambodia

In 1992, ASEAN proposed the establishment of a free trade area, and strived to improve cooperation and economic integration by advancing trade liberalization to enhance ASEAN's overall strength.

In December 1995, the "Bangkok Declaration" adopted by the 5th ASEAN Summit emphasized that ASEAN countries should strengthen cooperation in the political and economic fields and work hard to accelerate the process of Southeast Asian integration.

At the end of May 1997, the seven ASEAN member states held a special meeting of foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur and unanimously decided to admit Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to join ASEAN in July of the same year. This is an important step taken by ASEAN towards the political and economic integration of Southeast Asian countries.

At the informal meeting of ASEAN leaders held in Singapore in November 2000, ASEAN leaders agreed to treat ASEAN countries as an economy and take holistic actions internationally to improve ASEAN's competitiveness and achieve regional integration. The ASEAN leaders also reached a "Plan to Advance ASEAN Integration."

In October 2003, the "ASEAN Second Compact Declaration" issued at the 9th ASEAN Summit announced that it would build an ASEAN community with three pillars: the Security Community, the Economic Community and the Social and Cultural Community.

In November 2004, the 10th ASEAN Summit adopted the "Asean Security Community Action Programme" and "ASEAN Social and Cultural Community Action Programme" and formally listed the formulation of the "ASEAN Charter" as an objective of ASEAN, seeking for the construction of the ASEAN Community legal protection.

In January 2007, the Cebu Declaration adopted at the 12th ASEAN Summit decided to advance the construction of the ASEAN Community to 2015 and officially start the drafting of the ASEAN Charter. The "ASEAN Charter" was adopted in November of the same year, and it entered into force in December 2008. The Charter stipulates that the ASEAN Community will be composed of the ASEAN Economic Community, the ASEAN Security Community, and the ASEAN Social and Cultural Community. After the completion of the ASEAN Community, ASEAN will have one goal, one identity and one voice, and jointly meet future challenges.

On August 8, 2007, in order to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the specific day is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Day.

In February 2009, the 14th ASEAN Summit adopted the "ASEAN Community Roadmap Declaration 2009-2015" and related documents, and proposed a strategic vision, specific goals and action plans for the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015.

In October 2010, the 17th ASEAN Summit adopted the "ASEAN Connectivity Master Plan". The Plan covers more than 700 projects and plans, with an investment scale of approximately $ 38 million. The implementation of the Plan will promote comprehensive connectivity in the ASEAN region.

In April 2012, the 20th ASEAN Summit adopted a series of important outcome documents, such as the Chairman's Statement, the Phnom Penh Declaration, and the Phnom Penh Agenda, which identified ASEAN's main tasks and areas of focus during the year. At the 21st ASEAN Summit held in November of the same year, ASEAN leaders decided to set December 31, 2015 as the deadline for the establishment of the ASEAN Community.

In April 2013, the 22nd ASEAN Summit clarified the specific measures and steps that must be taken to ensure the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015, and put forward efforts to achieve the long-term goal of ASEAN that is truly people-oriented after 2015. The ASEAN Community consists of three parts, namely the Security Community, the Economic Community and the Sociocultural Community. In view of the imbalance in internal development, ASEAN will take the lead in achieving the goals of the Economic Community in 2015 based on the principle of easy change first and then difficult ones.

On October 13, 2017, the aircraft accident investigation departments of ASEAN countries and the Civil Aviation Administration of China signed a cooperation on the investigation of aircraft accidents during the 23rd ASEAN Transport Ministers' Meeting and relevant meetings between ASEAN and China, Japan, and South Korea's dialogue partners Memorandum of understanding.

According to this document, China and ASEAN countries will share investigation facilities, equipment and expertise to support aircraft accident investigations, provide each other with places for investigation training, share safety information, and facilitate each other when conducting investigations.

The Singapore Ministry of Transport issued a news announcement saying that the signing of the memorandum of understanding will further enhance the capabilities and professionalism of the investigation of aircraft accidents between China and ASEAN, and the two sides will promote aviation safety through active cooperation in the field of investigation.

The current session will last two days. Ministers of transport of ASEAN countries adopted a number of documents at the meeting to enhance cooperation in the field of transportation within ASEAN countries and their dialogue partners, promote the liberalization of regional air services, improve the safety and efficiency of ASEAN air travel, and promote the cross-border travel of ASEAN passengers Convenience of activities. ^[4]

In April 2018, the 32nd ASEAN Summit was held in Singapore. The conference focused on the ASEAN theme Resilience and Innovation in 2018, focusing on discussions on ASEAN community construction and international and regional issues. After the meeting, the Chairman s Statement, the ASEAN Vision Paper on Building Resilience and Innovation, and Statement and the ASEAN Smart City Network Concept Paper. ^[1]

On November 12, 2018, the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations signed an ASEAN e-commerce agreement in Singapore, which aims to facilitate cross-border e-commerce trade in the region. ^[2]