The Nature of ASEAN
CLARK FREEPORT ZONE — The Philippines is hosting to the 2017 Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) summit this November 12-15.
The association was founded on August 8, 1967, by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand through the ASEAN Declaration otherwise known as The Bangkok Declaration of 1967.
Its motto is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” which aims to achieve economic growth through joint endeavors and cooperation, regional peace and stability, provide mutual assistance of common interest in educational, professional, technical and scientific disciplines, and expansion of trade not only throughout the Asian region but also to the world market.
Thru the years, other countries have joined the ASEAN for the mutual benefits accorded to the member nations. Those who joined are Brunei Darussalam (January 1984), Cambodia (April 1999), Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) (July 1997), Myanmar (July 1997) and Vietnam (July 1995). Currently, there are 10 nations in the ASEAN.
Who Will Participate in the ASEAN 2017 Summit?
Expected to participate in the discussions are the heads of the member states. They are; His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah of Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha of Thailand, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith of Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore,Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and President Rodrigo Duterte of the Republic of the Philippines.
Why the dialogue partner countries?
Also expected to attend are the leaders of the dialogue partner countries. These are: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, People’s Republic of China Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, South Korea President Moon Jae-in, Russian President Vladimir Putin, United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres and US President Donald Trump.
The leaders of the dialogue partner countries will discuss mutual trade, amity, and cooperation with the ASEAN members. A dialogue partner is any country, or organization with which ASEAN or similar Organizations enjoy a consultative relationship in areas of common interest and may participate actively in the conference.
Each ASEAN Member State is appointed to coordinate relations with a Dialogue Partner. The dialogue partner countries are Australia, Canada, China, European Union (EU), India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States of America and the United Nations.
ASEAN over-all agenda
This year’s theme is “Partnering for Change Engaging the World” as the for the Philippine government’s agenda is to promote unity with and among ASEAN member states and its global partners. This is in line to the 2025 community vision of a resilient, stable and peaceful region and to respond effectively to challenges, and to be an outward-looking territory within the global neighborhood while preserving its own ASEAN identity.