ASEAN: A REGIONAL ORGANIZATION
ASEAN: A REGIONAL ORGANIZATION
Introduction
Objective of ASEAN
Political Cooperation
ASEAN Regional Forum
Terrorism
Strategic Importance of ASEAN
Economic Integration
The Eleven Priority Sectors for Integration
Trade
Free Trade Agreements with Dialogue Partners
Cooperation in Specific Economic Sectors/area
SAARC and the ASEAN
ASEAN and the European Union (EU)
Conclusion
Reference
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Introduction
ASEAN stands for Association of South East Asian, was established 8th August 1967. It initiated with five original members, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. No members left the association, and Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997. Cambodia joined the association on 30 April 1999. The vision of the founding countries to bring all the ten regional countries within its fold was realized, the ASEAN has evolved into one of the most influential regional associations in the world.
While regular meetings held between ministers and between senior governments officials of the member states at times resulted in joint statements, joint press releases, and joint sessions, they did not lead to real actions. Consultations rather than solution or formulation of specific policies were agreed upon; members of ASEAN carefully tried to avoid any commitment to their other members.
Objectives of ASEAN
1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development among the ASEAN members.
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law and adherence to the United Nation Charter.
3. To create the active collaboration and mutual interest through assistance among countries members.
Political Cooperation
Before each country become unity as the ASEAN. They have their own problem and some country have conflict with border neighbor. Such as Indonesia is consist of hundreds of islands and the center unable to apply rule to all, some islands have the domestic clash. Malaysia and Singapore had the dispute for separation. The three countries wanted to own Malaka canal by charges lots of cargo boats have to pay crossing. Vietnam was divided in to two parts, south and north Vietnam, the democratic and communism Vietnam. Myanmar had to follow the some influence countries for its own country ruling.
The united region of South East Asia countries they sit together and raising the problem for the solution and development of each other. The mutual interest among one and another such as the benefit of trade, free trade agreement, investment, transportation, communication, technologies, agriculture and industries, alleviation of the poverty, natural resources, etc. are the common discussion of the members.
United countries members further have beneficial dialogue partners, USA, EU, Russia, Japan, China, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand for their common interest in economic and politic.
ASEAN regional forum
The ASEAN regional forum focuses on four broad areas as following:
1. Promotion of confidence building among participants, the member might raise issues of their own country benefit to other.
2. Development of preventing diplomacy means any country members can approach each other for the mutual interest without boundary.
3. Elaboration of approaches to conflicts and disputes.
4. Deal constructively with new issues that have emerged as a result of globalization, external affair may seek to interfere in both economic and politic relationship of ASEAN so the United Nations should hold as a one.
Terrorism
As we already known that after the horrendous events, 11th September 2001, the world took seriously of the defense terrorism. Many countries invest lots of fund on the protection of the nation. The ASEAN also take important part of these phenomena of the protection of the members to prevent terrorism. The ASEAN region has invested and received lots of income from tourism industry. It is important that the protection and the safety ensure in the region is priority consideration and up to date there is still no any country member facing the serious of creation or cause of the terrorist militant.
Strategic importance of ASEAN
Malaysia is part of the ASEAN members has very strong economic activity and the ability can play in the world economic, export and stability of Malaysia is a modern of the members. Singapore is the busiest among all of the economic activity and many are. The natural and mine resources sufficiency pledged to production providing worldwide. Its show interfere lots of investors to invest in this region.
Economic integration
All the leaders of the ASEAN counties try to pledge to create a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN Economic Region in which there is a free flow of goods, services and investment a free flow of capital, equitable economic development, reduced poverty and socio-economic disparities. They also do for joint ventures and complementation schemes among ASEAN governments and companies. They targeting in Industrial Cooperation, accelerating the ASEAN Investment Area and developing infrastructure linkages including co- gas pipeline and power.
The Special attention of the ASEAN leaders is to set up its own currency and its own exchange rate system in the region.
The Eleven Priority Sectors for Integration
Under ASEAN framework of the integration in eleven sectors are as following;
1. agro-based product
2. air travel
3. automotive products
4. e-ASEAN
5. electronic
6. fisheries
7. health care
8. rubber-based products
9. textiles and apparels
10. tourism
11. wood-based products
These 11 sectors are the priority basic objectives of these roadmaps are to enhance the competitiveness of Member Countries, both individually and collectively region to strengthening regional integration through liberalization, facilitate in and promotion for the greater private sector participation. It's to be achieved by 2010 with mutual cooperation but it still costly.
Member Countries agreed to advance the elimination of tariffs and try to remove all barriers of trade will also be eliminated. To facilitate trade and investment, the transaction cost of doing business in ASEAN will be reduced through the development of an ASEAN, which would include electronic processing of trade documents, and through the harmonization of product standards and technical regulations, and mutual recognition of test reports and certification.
Trade
Trade in Goods
The ASEAN free trade agreement is provide the facilities for the members by reduce the tariff through issuing the certificates only for some particular products because of the protection of national security, public moral, human, animal, plant life and health, articles of artistic, historic and archaeological value.
Trade in Services
ASEAN member countries have started negotiation on mutual recognition arrangement to facilitate the movement of experts, professional and skilled workers in ASEAN in engineering, architectural and accounting services, as well as nursing and medical practitioners in order to ensure the competitiveness of the services sector in the region.
Free Trade agreements with Dialogue Partners
China
The agreement on trade in goods and the agreement on dispute settle mechanism between ASEAN and China was signed on 29 November 2004 in Vientiane. The agreement provides for the modality and the disciplines for tariff reduction and elimination to realize the ASEAN-China free trade area. ASEAN Leaders agree to recognize China as a full market economy.
Japan
ASEAN-Japan comprehensive economic partnership was signed on 8 October 2003. However, consultations were held in 2004 it aims to strengthen economic integration and progressive liberalize and facilitate trade in goods and services, as well as create a transparent and liberal investment regime.
Republic of Korea
The ASEAN-Korea experts group established in 2003 was presented a joint study report on the feasibility of an ASEAN-ROK free trade area, measure to expand two-way trade and investment and already applied during 2005 to 2009 for at least 80% of products with zero tariffs, with consideration for special and differential treatment, and additional flexibility.
Cooperation in specific Economic sectors/area
Energy
The ASEAN took significant steps in accelerating regional energy cooperation on energy such as sustaining energy development, enhancing the integration of the regional energy infrastructure, promoting energy security, creating progressive policies for market reforms and liberalization, addressing environmental concerns intensified cooperation for power grid and gas pipeline project, coal, energy efficiency and conservation.
Relations with dialogue partners and external agencies, ASEAN received continued technical assistance and support from the Australia, the European Union, Germany, Japan and Switzerland, as well as various international organizations in the implementation of ASEAN energy cooperation projects Energy cooperation deal with China on alternative clean energy, bio-fuels and hydroelectric power.
Finance
Roadmap for Financial and Monetary Integration of ASEAN, finance cooperation has made significant progress, particularly in advancing its integration efforts under the Roadmap for Financial and Monetary Integration of ASEAN have been developed in four areas, namely, capital market development, capital account liberalization of financial services and currency cooperation. A Task Force has been set up and is in the process of exploring various models of alliances and linkages, including cross-listing, cross-trading access, or cross- exchange products. Priority areas have been identified to enhance exchange linkages, such as narrowing gaps in areas of technology, platforms and market practices, strengthening standards of investor protection and surveillance and harmonization in areas such as disclosure, and mitigating limitations posed by capital controls. ASEAN Surveillance Process, as part of the technical assistance on training and capacity building in support of ASEAN Surveillance Process, a training Programme on “Regional Economic and Financial Monitoring” was implemented by the Asian Development Bank.
Food
ASEAN Member Countries continued to exchange information on the national supply and demand situation of major food commodities (rice, sugar, maize and soybean) which provided an estimate of the regional food situation. To strengthen food security and address poverty alleviation in the East Asian region a project to establish the East Asia emergency Rice Reserve is being implemented. Concerning cooperation on halal food ASEAN Scheme for the Accreditation of Halal Food Establishments and the draft Registration and Compilation of Halal Food Additives used in Manufacturing Food in ASEAN Member Countries. To promote the use of the ASEAN Halal Food Guidelines, trainings for halal food auditors and food inspectors will be organized in the region.
Agriculture
Crops In the effort to harmonize phytosanitary measures, ASEAN has established the Endemic Pest List for milled rice, citrus fruit, mango fruit, potato tuber, and dendrobium orchid's cut-flowers. Further harmonization of phytosanitary measures for milled rice and potato tuber is being pursued, particularly for cross-border management procedures. To promote food safety and regional food safety standards, the members endorsed an additional 86 maximum residue limits of eight pesticides for various vegetables, fruits, and cash crops which are being traded widely among the region.
Livestock ASEAN cooperation in livestock made satisfactory progress through several programmes, namely, the Regularization of Production and Utilization of Animal Vaccines, promotion of International Trade in Livestock and Livestock Products, Strengthening of Animal Diseases Control Programme, and Animal Health and Production Information System for ASEAN.
Fisheries A proposal to develop the cooperation between ASEAN and the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Centers under the ASEAN-SEAFDEC Collaboration in Sustainable Management of Fisheries Resources in the Southeast Asia Region has progressed satisfactorily. The collaboration between the ASEAN Network of Fisheries Post- Harvest Technology Centers and the Marine Fisheries Research Department continued on the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point Training Programmes, the Regional Code of Conduct on Post- Harvest Practices and Trade, and the project on Quality Assurance and Safety of ASEAN Fish and Fishery Products.
Agricultural Training and Extension Satisfactory progress was made on the implementation of the Integrated Pest Management regional training programmes on various crops.
Tourism
Member countries agreed to focus on a number of areas such as strengthening cooperation with the stakeholders; enhancing are linkages, ground and water-way transportation; and removing all impediments to travel and tourism and enhancing the safety and security of travelers. A common set of regional standards and certification systems is being developed to guide the tourism industry. Tourism standards for accommodation (hostels), destination (tourism heritage), home stay, food and beverage services, eco-tourism sites, and public restrooms are being considered.
Transportation
-Air travel is one of the designated eleven priority sectors for economic integration. Air freight services will be made to provide increased tonnage and additional designated points/gateways for further liberalization of air freight services, focusing on ownership rules and investment issues, code of conduct on competition and consumer policy, subsidies and state aids, and low cost carriers as a new business model in the ASEAN countries.
-Land transport, the ASEAN road safety strategy which provided technical support in the preparation of the ASEAN road safety action plans will continue its institutional and advisory support to the follow up projects and activities under the ADB-ASEAN road safety project.
ASEAN and the SAARC
South Asia was relatively late in evolving a mechanism to promote regional cooperation. IT was in 1985 that South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established about 4 decades after the European Community come into being and about over 3 decades after ASEAN came into existence. It would have been fruitful for SAARC to have benefited from the experience of other older regional groupings. But this was not the way SAARC its Endeavour's.
SAARC from the beginning was inward looking not the least forthcoming in opening out to the world. Its growth was stunted by the inhibiting limitations by its Charter No. bilateral, political or contentions issue was to be discussed and all decisions even on the peripheral issues were to be taken on the basis of unanimity and not consensus. In actual practice all the seven members must be present in a meeting at any level including the summit to take decisions. Unlike ASEAN which has been holding its meetings regularly.
ASEAN started by agreeing on measures to enhance mutual confidence, goodwill and cooperation. SAARC remained mired in tensions conflicts and distrust.
Unlike ASEAN whose central point was promotion of regional cooperation and integration in key areas of trade, investment joint ventures etc. SAARC agenda did not include these vital areas of cooperation and dealt with peripheral subjects only.
Some country of SAARC members are a full dialogue partner with ASEAN depending on the relationship in economics and political. In these day the ASEAN inviting SAARC to the yearly inter-fellowship training Programme for improving of human resource.
ASEAN and the European Union (EU)
ASEAN is an association, not an alliance and certainly not a military, but overall a cultural, social and economic alliances. Probably the most significant difference between the two organizations is the scope of power the organization has among its member nations. The European Union is more of a supranational organization that stands above all nations. It is like a government consisted of several states that are committed to a bigger entity. On the other hand, ASEAN is not above other nations but is rather in the same level. Nations' leaders convene to come up with a resolution or so, and the resolution serves as more a kind of guideline than an order.
Another mark of difference is ASEAN's respect of spontaneity and in contrast, EU's legality. ASEAN's meetings are based on Ad hoc, need basis while EU follows a schedule. EU is more institutionalized while ASEAN is not. The spontaneity that ASEAN emphasizes may appeal to the member nations in that they gather only when there is a need to, but a sense of formalization could be needed as well.
Also, the leading country's degree of involvement stands as another difference between ASEAN and EU. Indonesia, with the largest population and role in building the organization, undoubtedly stands as the leading nation in ASEAN. However, as seen from previous cases, Indonesia's own interests stand much above the interests of ASEAN as a whole and it does not favor too much intervention from ASEAN. EU's case is slightly different. France and Germany, while they may not be the only leading nations, took a large role in integrating the continent.
There is also the relative lack of common history that many of the European nations share. Including such, there lie many factors that differentiate the ASEAN with the EU. Perhaps Kao Kim Horn, the executive director of the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace is right. "Each organization has uniqueness and should be treated accordingly." He specifically stated that "it would be unfair to compare ASEAN to the EU since its goals and structure differs from the European organizations." And of course, the European Union is not perfect. The European Union has had problems in gaining full approval from the public, having to inform them how the integration process may improve their lives. As a forerunner, the European Union can serve as an example, both as a model to follow and not to follow.
Conclusion
ASEAN was established by the countries members to strengthening the relationship in culture, trade, tourism, economic and political stabilities and the growth of the South East Asia Region. The population in this region similarly they have the same test of culture and thinking. After the organization become healthy performance they also forwarding of one region which have the similar objective further to many countries like USA, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan etc. in form of trade and economic relation.
Some countries of their members are in slow progressive developing and the rest of the members they come in term of group for the development in infrastructures and industries. The training programmes are conducting in many fields for the human development and environment whether in form of a small trade or medium enterprise.
The reduction of constraints are remove enable the members to mobilize the trade, tourism industries, the achievement of custom procedure provide many business improvement to countries members.
Reference
1. G. Martin, Linda. (ed.), "The ASEAN success story: social Economics and Political Dimensions", Hawaii, East west road: the East-West center, 1987. pp 3-14
2. Ali Soomro. Hidayet, "ASEAN special issue 2002", the research journal of far east & south east ASIA, Area Study Center, Far East & South East Asia, University of Sindh, Jamshoro
3. "2001-2002 ASEAN Annual Report", ASEAN Secretariat 2002 Indonesia.
4. "2004-2005 ASEAN Annual Report", Ten Nation One Community, ASEAN Secretariat 2004 Indonesia.
5. Armstrong, David. And Lloyd, Lorna. "International Organization in World Politics" third edition, Plagrave Macmillan, 2005, pp 220-223
6. www.asean.com
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