The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded its 14th annual summit in Thailand's southern coastal town of Cha-am Hua Hin on Sunday, March 1. The declaration on the roadmap for ASEAN Community (2009-2015) was adopted at the summit, along with the signing of 24 or so ASEAN related documents. So, another big step has been taken in pushing forward the ASEAN integration.
During the summit, the leaders of 10 ASEAN nations held discussions or consultations on how to cope with the surging global financial crisis and economic recession, and to ensure grain security and achieve the millennium development goals. Moreover, these ASEAN leaders issued the relevant statements.
ASEAN leaders re-affirmed at the summit their resolve to promote a free flow of goods, service and investments and a freer flow of capital, so as to facilitate the free flow of business people, technical professionals and labor forces across the region. Meanwhile, it shall continue to promote the integration of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint and provide even more economic opportunities for the region.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, the current rotary ASEAN chair, announced the convocation of the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+2, and the East Asia Summit on April 10th-12th and of the 15th ASEAN summit in Thailand in October this year.
The 14th ASEAN Summit is the first summit at leaders' level after the ASEAN Charter came into force last December, which turned the 42-year-old grouping into a rule-based organization. Themed on the “ASEAN Charter for ASEAN Peoples”, it shows the resolve of ASEAN leaders to move out the dilemma of beleaguered economy for development and their strong political will or aspiration to open up a new situation for economic revitalization.
ASEAN and its member nations have met numerous challenges in recent years. So there are still some doubts among people on whether an ASEAN community, guided by the “ASEAN Charter”, is able to take shape smoothly prior to 2015 or on whether this community can be turned into a collective force to cope with financial crisis. In view of regional cooperation, some experts and scholars are also skeptical of ASEAN regional coordination and cooperation, and the Hua Hin summit has in a sense responded to such concerns.
At the 14th Summit, ASEAN leaders signed the declaration on the roadmap for ASEAN Community and, following the issuing of the AEC Blueprint in 2007, it released a blueprint for its politically secured and socio-cultural community, which will be fully integrated into the global community by 2015. These measures will boost the ASEAN spirit and lay down a basis for implementing the ASEAN formula and advancing the integration process.
In order to resume its leading role in regional cooperation, ASEAN has been trying hard to pool regional forces, heighten regional cooperation and raise its capacity to cope with crisis. The involved contents are, among others initiatives, to defined the ASEAN planning in response to crisis and coordinate actions for London's G20 Summit to be held on April 2, and to sign the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), indicating the ASEAN's firm stand against trade protectionism and determination to coordinate the monetary and fiscal policies with China, Japan and South Korea so as to beef up its capacity against crisis.
As a matter of fact, ASEAN has accumulated some experience and raise its capability to some extent to deal with current financial crisis. The 1997 financial crisis inflicted grievous losses on ASEAN, greatly sagging and fraying its vigor. Nevertheless, the organization was able to dissolve its risks in a creative way through regional cooperation with China, Japan and South Korea and its resurgence appears to gain good momentum over recent years, as ASEAN economies have taken on the right track on a whole. Furthermore, the just-ended summit has injected new, fresh vitality into the ASEAN.
With the adoption of its "ASEAN Charter", ASEAN is expected to enter into a period of mutual accommodation. It has been turning even more mature from a relatively loose regional bloc decades ago and will play a more vital role on the international political and economic arena. Hence, the organization is now faced with both opportunities and challenges.
By People's Daily Online and contributed by Ren Jianmin, a PD overseas resident reporter in Thailand, and Zhai Kun, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies affiliated to the China Institute of International Studies
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