Republic of the Philippines

President Ramon Magsaysay State University

The Contemporary World (GEC 3)

TOPIC VI – ASIAN REGIONALISM

Learning Objectives

After studying this topic, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the factors leading to a greater integration of the Asian region.

2. Analyze how different Asian states confront the challenges of globalization and
regionalization.
3. Define Asian Regionalism.
4. Identify or recognize the members of the ASEAN.
5. Tell the different functions of the ASEAN summit committee.
6. Examine critically the benefits of Asian Regionalism.
7. Differentiate realism from liberalism.

Asian regionalism is the product of economic interaction, not political planning. As a result
of successful, outward-oriented growth strategies, Asian economies have grown not only richer,
but also closer together. In recent years, new technological trends have further strengthened ties
among them, as have the rise of the PRC and India and the region’s growing weight in the global
economy. But adversity also played a role. The 1997/98 financial crisis dealt a severe setback to
much of the region, highlighting Asia’s shared interests and common vulnerabilities and providing
an impetus for regional cooperation. The challenge now facing Asia’s policy makers is simply put
yet incredibly complex: Where markets have led, how should government follow?
 Republic of the Philippines
President Ramon Magsaysay State University
The Contemporary World (GEC 3)

Asian Regionalism is the product of economic interaction, not political planning. ...
East Asian economies, in particular, focused on exporting to developed country markets rather
than selling to each other. Initially, they specialized in simple, labor-intensive manufactures.

Who is ASEAN?

Association of the South East Asian Nation

The Association of Southeast Asian

Nations (ASEAN) is a 10-member
regional bloc with a combined GDP
of $2.4 trillion, a population of 630
million, and a landmass covering
more than 1.7 million square miles.
Founded on August 1967 by
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, and Thailand

Objective: To create a prosperous

and peaceful community of South-
East Asian Nations.
  Indonesia
 Malaysia
 Philippines
 Singapore
 Thailand
 Brunei
 Vietnam
 Laos
 Myanmar
 Cambodia

ASEAN seeks to
promote economic
growth and regional
stability among its
members through
consultation, consensus,
and cooperation based on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). By combining the member
states’ influence, ASEAN has been able to affect Asia Pacific economic, political, and security
trends to a much greater degree than its members could achieve individually. ASEAN’s
community building effort comprises three pillars: The Political-Security Community; Economic
Community; and Socio-Cultural Community.

As stated in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) of 1976. The ASEAN
Community functions under its six fundamental principles (ASEAN.org):

1. Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national
identity of all nations;
2. The right of every State led its national existence free from external interference, subversion or
coercion;
3. Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another;
4. Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner;
5. Renunciation of the threat or use of force; and
6. Effective cooperation among themselves
AEM – ASEAN Economic Ministers
AMM – ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
AFMM – ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting
SEOM – Senior Economic Officials Meeting
ASC – ASEAN Standing Committee
SOM – Senior Officials Meeting
ASC – ASEAN Standing Committee
SOM – Senior Officials Meeting
AFDM – ASEAN Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting

Supporting these ministerial bodies are 29 committees of senior officials and 122 technical
working groups.

End of Cold War

• ASEAN Free Trade Area

• initiated at ASEAN summit in 1992
• comprehensive program of regional tariff reduction
• program later broadened and accelerated
• reaffirmed during Asian Financial Crisis of 1997-98
• Expansion of ASEAN
• 1995: Vietnam
• 1997: Laos
• 1997: Myanmar
• 1999: Cambodia

ASEAN: external links

• A joint forum with Japan was established in 1977

• A cooperation agreement with the European Community was signed in 1980
• ``ASEAN + 3”: regular series of meetings at the cabinet and head-of-government levels
with Japan, China, and South Korea since 1997.
ASEAN and U.S.

• Investment:
– U.S. direct investment of US$157 billion in ASEAN
– nearly 3 times more than in China
– 10 times more than in India
• Trade:
– 4rd largest export market ($76 billion) for U.S.
– U.S. imported $123 billion from ASEAN

Northeast Asia

• Japan, South Korea, North Korea

• Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
• Mongolia, Russia

Northeast Asia
• Compared with Southeast Asia and West Europe, Northeast Asia has lagged behind
– in developing mechanisms or institutions
– of coordination, cooperation, or integration
• especially considering the immense economic potentials in the region
– natural resources
– human infrastructure

Political Difficulties
• Legacies of World War II
– Japanese atrocities in Pacific Asia
• Legacies of Cold War
– partition of Korea
• Territorial disputes between
– Japan and China
– Japan and South Korea
– Japan and Russia
– “Sea of Japan” or “East Sea”?
• mutually reinforcing suspicions

Current Status

• Washington-Tokyo-Beijing triangle
– PRC & Japan regard relationship with each other as 2nd in importance to that with
US
• Japan plays significant role in integrating PRC into world economy
• Japan has a vital interest in PRC’s development and stability
• Economic interdependence
• ASEAN Matters
How regionalism can benefit

 link the competitive strengths of its diverse economies in order to boost their productivity
and sustain the region’s exceptional growth;
 connect the region’s capital markets to enhance financial stability, reduce the cost of
capital, and improve opportunities for sharing risks;
 cooperate in setting exchange rate and macroeconomic policies in order to minimize the
effects of global and regional shocks and to facilitate the resolution of global imbalances;
 pool the region’s foreign exchange reserves to make more resources available for
investment and development;
 exercise leadership in global decision making to sustain the open global trade and financial
systems that have supported a half century of unparalleled economic development;
 build connected infrastructure and collaborate on inclusive development to reduce
inequalities within and across economies and thus to strengthen support for pro-growth
policies
 Create regional mechanisms to manage cross-border health, safety, and environmental
issues better.

ASEAN Systems Theory

The strategic preferences of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members
should be a key variable in explaining the ASEAN integration process over the last four decades.
ASEAN integration will not progress as rapidly and substantially as many of its leaders claim
unless there are remarkable developments in factors that affect the underlying preferences of
ASEAN states, such as a significant increase in intra-ASEAN trade and investment a much
stronger pressure from domestic businesses for deeper integration, or external shocks that threaten
the region's economic growth. While the progressive path of European integration illustrates that
an independent and strong supranational institution is necessary to handle the complex processes
of regional integration, the strategic-preference theory of ASEAN integration presented here
predicts that this will not be the top policy priority of its leaders in the near future.

Regional Bandwagon

Approach: Realism vs Liberalism

Liberalism and realism are two of the most important theories in the field of International
Relations. They are different from one another in a number of ways.
Realism holds that all states pursue their interests while liberalism holds that states can cooperate
with one another and act more altruistically.
What are the main differences between Realism and Liberalism in the study of International
Relations?
Realism
 holds that all states pursue their interests
 states want only to maintain their own security
 they want to get power so that they can be strong enough to be secure from attack
 international system can’t be manipulated to make peace
 international system is inherently anarchical and cannot really be made more peaceful
except through power
 don’t believe that democratization can bring peace
 believed that democratic countries will pursue power regardless of whether they are
democratic
 countries will fight if their interest dictate it, even if they and their opponents are both
democracies
 state only matters
Liberalism
 holds that states can cooperate with one another and act more altruistically
 not always looking for power
 believed that the international system can be manipulated to make peace
 believed in things like United Nations which allow countries to interact with one another
in a variety of ways lead to less conflict between countries
 believed that democratization can bring peace
 believed that non-state actors are important
 pay attention to individual leaders
 pay attention to non-governmental organizations
 SUMMARY

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded on August 1967 in
Bangkok, Thailand with Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand as its founding
fathers. Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia joined the organization making
up today the 10 member-countries. The ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN
Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community are three main pillars of ASEAN.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a 10-member regional bloc with
a combined GDP of $2.4 trillion, a population of 630 million, and a landmass covering more than
1.7 million square miles.

ASEAN seeks to promote economic growth and regional stability among its members
through consultation, consensus, and cooperation based on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation
(TAC). By combining the member states’ influence, ASEAN has been able to affect Asia Pacific
economic, political, and security trends to a much greater degree than its members could achieve
individually.