SO what?
That’s what skeptics of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations may say as Asean holds the first summit of its 50th year this week.
After all, half a century on, the grouping only began the road to market integration last year. Hardly impressive for an entity that prefers to be seen primarily as economic, not military or geopolitical.
As for advancing harmony, another goal of regional groupings, no member-state has fought with another, though conflicts erupted between some nations, like Vietnam and Cambodia, before joining Asean.
Yet, in today’s paramount security issue in Southeast Asia—territorial disputes in the South China Sea—Asean has yet to make significant headway toward resolving it or even just avoiding potentially violent confrontation.
Still, it is something that Asean has started on the long road to economic integration. And after several years of talks, there awards to be a draft Code of Conduct among states in the South China Sea acceptable to Asean, as well as Beijing.
Ten rice stalks bound tight and strong
More than what it was up to over the past months, however, Asean deserves to be evaluated by the stature it has achieved not just for itself, but more so for its individual members. For without the grouping, all 10 states, from tiny Brunei Darussalam, to giant Indonesia, would command far less respect and attention in the world, just as separate rice stalks in the Asean logo would break easily if they weren’t bound tight and strong.
Moreover, Asean harmony and solidarity have helped diminish disputes and tensions among members, so that even former conflict adversaries are now united for regional peace and development.
This enhanced influence and lasting peace also confer gains for Asia. Asean’s centrality, with no alliance with any major power, makes it an ideal convenor and fulcrum for deliberations and collaborations on regional concerns, including fractious security problems.
For sure, the big powers try to swing Asean to their respective positions, and some members have shown leanings. But the group itself has remained unaligned, true to its original status as an alternative to the United States-led Southeast Asian Treaty Organization alliance against communism in the region.
Especially with Indonesia’s leadership, which championed the Non-Aligned Movement during the US-Soviet Cold War, Asean’s overarching centrality has made it a kind of honest broker among contending giants in Asia.
Promoting peace and harmony in Southeast Asia and providing a central meeting point for global powers, contribute to global stability and understanding, as well. And Asean’s approach to extremism, including moderate Islam, also offers lessons for the world in this escalating threat.
A new force for global growth and commerce
AS Asean continues its world-pacing economic growth, now further fueled by integration, the grouping is rising as a major force in global expansion and trade. Five years ago, Asean was already the world’s third most populous market and the fifth-largest economic entity after the European Union, the US, China and Japan. And there’s more expansion ahead, with a burgeoning affluent, interconnected population, and a hefty chunk of the $8 trillion in infrastructure investment projected for Asia.
Even with the Trans-Pacific Partnership derailing, Asean forges ahead with trade enhancement, not only within Asia through the Beijing-backed Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership. It’s also in talks with the Pacific Alliance, formed by Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru.
More than ever, Asean is showing how developing nations working together can be a force for peace,
understanding, cooperation and development in the world.
These twin roles of Asean—growth sparkplug and geopolitical bridge-builder—now gets a further boost with the Philippines’s chairmanship in the grouping’s golden year. With his foreign policy rebalancing between Beijing and Washington, President Duterte as Asean chair will restore the centrality and consensus-building crucial to its unique status as regional forum among the region’s power blocs. This contrasts with the past tussle within Asean among members
backing rival powers.
Moreover, the Philippines’s rapid growth and trebling infrastructure drive will give impetus to economic initiatives. This can propel Asean further up the global ladder at this time of continuing uncertainty in the giant economies of Europe, America and China.
What about the South China Sea? Will Asean and the Chinese finally sign the Code?
Duterte’s restoration of warm relations with Beijing and his limits on military cooperation with Washington, has hopefully convinced China to accept limits on its maritime activities without fearing a massive US buildup in the Philippines threatening vital sealanes.
Last month China announced that a draft code of conduct—presumably acceptable to Beijing—is ready. What all sides must now do is to continue the atmosphere of cooperation and confidence building, and not stumble into past confrontational stances, like planting flags in disputed areas. That is the road to peace and prosperity for all.