Title:
Asian Perspectives Series: ASEAN and the Future of
Asia’s Regional Architecture
Location:
The Washington Club
Date & Time:
Thursday, September 27, 2012, 9:00 - 11:00 AM
Speakers:
Rahimah “Ima” Abdulrahim, Executive Director of The
Habibie Center
Herman J. Kraft, Executive Director of the Institute for
Strategic and Development Studies
Tao Wenzhao, Senior Research Fellow at Center for US-China
Relations, Tsinghua University
Tin Maung Maung Than, Senior Research Fellow at the
Institute of the Southeast Asian Studies
Nancy Yuan, Vice President and Director of the Asia
Foundation’s Washington Office
PILPG Authors: Nicole Morinière, Jacinth Planer, and Rui Yang
Event Summary:
Mr. Tin spoke first, noting that despite ASEAN’s multidimensional role, the
most recent headlines have concerned disputes between its members. Mr. Tin
also described the ASEAN community’s broader goals as it develops its focus for
2015. He explained that a strong social and cultural identity within ASEAN will
help strengthen the member states’ cooperation with one another.
Mr. Kraft explained that ASEAN faces critical questions about its capacity
to manage conflicts, and that its inability to craft a joint statement on the recent
Sino-Japanese territorial conflict has exposed the organization’s struggles. He
also addressed the growing importance of the United States-China relationship in
the region and for ASEAN as an organization. He said that many people question
how ASEAN will navigate the United States-China relationship and whether it can
do so effectively.
this effort.
He affirmed his belief that ASEAN can play a central role in
Ms. Abdulrahim expressed concerns with ASEAN’s weakness in effectively
implementing its “people to people” approach. She believes that many people in
the region remain unaware of its impact. She cited ASEAN’s process of revising
its human rights declaration as reflective of this challenge, and noted that
ASEAN’s consensus-based approach does not always incorporate the views of
non-governmental people or groups. She believes that ASEAN should direct
more efforts toward raising public awareness about ASEAN’s role.
Mr. Tao spoke about the United States-China relationship in the region and
its impact on ASEAN. He remarked that the United States-China bilateral
relationship has progressed greatly since the 1980s, and that today’s issues are not
just bilateral, but also regional and global in scope. He emphasized that economic
interdependence and trade between China and the U.S. have continued to deepen,
and that the two states must forge a new type of great power relationship. The
new relationship, he said, should be based on peaceful coexistence, friendly
competition, and outcomes that are not just “win-win,” but “win-win-win” in
benefiting the region as a whole.
PILPG Questions & Summary of the Responses:
Two PILPG research associates asked questions during the question and
answer session. One PILPG research associate asked Mr. Tao what role the U.S.
should play in the territorial dispute between China and Japan, and how increased
U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific region could shape ASEAN’s future. In
response, Mr. Tao emphasized the importance of a neutral U.S. position in is
essentially a bilateral matter between China and Japan. He also noted that
expanded U.S. influence could have an impact on regional dynamics in many ways
that are still uncertain.
The second PILPG research associate asked Mr. Tao and Mr. Tin what
influence ASEAN has had in the political transition underway in Burma and what
role China might play in the process. Mr. Tao said that China supports Burma’s
integration and has pressed the United States to lift sanctions. He noted that
Burma’s transition and that its relationship with the United States is ultimately left
to the Burmese government. Mr. Tin noted that Burma has struggled to navigate
between the United States and China as it undergoes political changes.
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