About ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is the political and economic grouping of all the countries in the region except for Timor Leste which is on track to become its eleventh member. The current members of ASEAN are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Viet Nam. The first five are the founding members who signed the Bangkok Declaration on August 8, 1967 establishing the bloc.
On December 15, 2008, ASEAN entered a new era as it launches the ASEAN Charter. Ratified by all members, the charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and promises an even closer relationship between its members.
As a region, ASEAN is a poster child for diversity; in fact, that is the one thing that every single Southeast Asian country has in abundance. From its ethnic make-up to its political systems, from the languages to the religions, from Indonesia’s sprawling archipelago to Singapore’s island city; ASEAN has diversity in spades. While differences could create tension, it can also enrich life which is the case in the region. Each area of Southeast Asia is teeming with its local culture, traditions, and languages. The cultural diversity of here is mind-boggling: literally hundreds of languages are spoken by dozens of different ethnic groups adhering to a multitude of belief systems.
ASEAN today is finally coming into its rightful place in the global stage representing more than half a billion people or eight percent of the world’s population residing in an area of almost three million square miles with a total GDP (Nominal) of over one trillion US dollars in 2007. Acknowledging its importance, a flurry of ambassadorial appointments by ASEAN dialogue partners have taken place in the recent months following the ratification of the ASEAN Charter. United States was the first dialogue partner country to appoint its own diplomatic envoy to the regional grouping.
It demonstrates the nature of the relationship between the two entities, where each one sees the importance of a close cooperation with the other. In February 2009, Obama’s new administration has elevated the bond to another level with Hilary Clinton’s visit to Jakarta, the seat of the ASEAN Secretariat, on her first world tour as Secretary of State. There, she met with Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, ASEAN’s current Secretary General, and declared United States’ intention to sign ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation – a signal from Washington of its desire for an increase in diplomatic rapport.
Fast Facts
Area: 2,772,344 sq mi (4,464,322 km2)
Population: 567 million (2007)
GDP (Nominal): US$ 1,066 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (Nominal): US$ 1,881 (2007)
GDP Growth: 5.6% (2007)
Major Trading Partners: ASEAN (25.6%), Japan (11.2%), USA (12.1%), EU (11.5%) (2006)
1 ASEAN-Japan Statistical Pocketbook 2007 (http://www.asean.or.jp/eng/general/statistics/index(07).html), ASEAN-Japan Centre (http://www.asean.or.jp/)
2 ASEAN Secretariat (http://www.aseansec.org/)
