ASEAN and the Asia Pacific’s
Role in Regional Architecture
AMBASSADOR ONG KENG YONG
C O N F E R E N C E O N A S I A PA C I F I C R E G I O N A L E C O N O M I C
I N T E G R AT I O N A N D A R C H I T E C T U R E
25 MARCH 2010
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
Key Factors
1.
Historical baggage

Individual countries’ experiences during World War II and their
colonial encounters
2. Diverse cultural, economic, political and social
systems

Sensitivities of race, religion and language
3. Entrenched positions of big powers

Especially in the determination of regional affairs
Regional Architecture
 ASEAN developed regional mechanisms and
processes



Manage and balance competing interests
Series of overlapping circles with ASEAN at its core
Peace, prosperity and security
ASEAN Regional Forum
 Established in 1994
 Maintain peace and stability in the region
 Promote regional development and prosperity
 Three-stage process
 Stage 1 on Confidence Building Measures,
 Stage 2 on Preventive Diplomacy
 Stage 3 on Conflict Management
 Gradual evolutionary approach, decision-making by
consensus

Movement at a pace comfortable to all members
ASEAN Plus Three
 Started in KL in December 1997
 China setting the pace (ASEAN-China FTA)
 ASEAN moving strategically
 Driving force is economic and strengthening of
ASEAN’s centrality
East Asia Summit
 Started in KL in 2005
 Addition to ASEAN Plus Three Process
 Inculcated bureaucratic cooperation and coherence
 Developed mutual confidence and trust
 Focused on more strategic issues

Cooperation in energy security, finance, health pandemic,
education, environment
ASEAN
ASEAN Plus Three
Additional members of the East Asia Summit
ADB’s Illustration of Regional and
Trans-regional Forums
Source: ADB’s Emerging Asian Regionalism, A Partnership for Shared Prosperity
Regional Partnerships
 East Asian community building:
 ASEAN+3 and EAS as complementary processes
 Regional countries engaged
 Broad range of regional challenges addressed
 Healthy sign
 Ongoing discussions – mechanisms can evolve
 Keep up with new challenges and changing international
circumstances
 Important to maintain region’s delicate yet dynamic
equilibrium
ASEAN’s Partnerships in Regional Contexts
Separately:
ASEAN Plus One
mechanisms with
individual Dialogue
Partners of ASEAN
FTA Strategy
 Concluded FTAs
 China, RoK, Japan, Australia/New Zealand, India
 Encouraged more FTAs
 Talks with EU
 Joint study with Pakistan
 GCC in agreement to explore possibilities
 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
exists between ASEAN and USA
ASEAN External Economics Relations
ASEAN-Russia
ASEAN-EU
ASEAN-Canada
ASEAN-China FTA
ASEAN-US TIFA
ASEAN-Korea FTA
ASEAN-Pakistan
ASEAN-Japan CEP
ASEAN-GCC
ASEAN-India FTA
ASEAN-AustraliaNew Zealand FTA
Asia Pacific community
 Discussions on developing APc relevant
 APc is not an independent idea
 Must find its place among other elements of regional
architecture
 ASEAN countries not entirely persuaded by the APc
 Lacks clarity
 Does not yet seem to fit comfortably among existing building
blocks of the regional architecture
 APc should not diminish ASEAN’s central role in the
regional architecture
Asia Pacific community (2)
 Concern for ASEAN:
 Australia’s seemingly two-tier approach
Create grouping of big regional powers
 Sit above existing structures

 Two-tier approach unlikely to serve the Asia-Pacific
region well


Basic philosophy: remain open and inclusive
Be transparent
 Better to rely on ASEAN-centric approach
 An ASEAN Plus Eight (ASEAN Ten, China, Japan, RoK, India,
Australia, NZ, Russia, USA)?
Conclusion
 ASEAN lies at the heart of many multilateral
initiatives

Well placed to play unique role in evolving regional
architecture
 Rise of big powers and new developments
 Challenges
 Closer engagement with countries who can
contribute to peace and stability in the region
Thank You
One Vision, One Identity, One Community