Expansion of ASEAN Flashcards
Context of Post Cold War ASEAN? (after 1991)
Great Power presence in SEA underwent a transformation → withdrawal of Soviet Union; US and China left to forge new political relations with SEA states → pursue interests irrelevant to CW and Third Indochina War
End of US’ rights to military bases in PHP → reduction of US commitment to the region → emergence of China as crucial political actor in SEA → ASEAN to deal with changing realities of great power presence in the region
28 Jan 1992
Singapore Declaration
What was the Singapore Declaration about?
It called for:
Accession of non-ASEAN countries in SEA region to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC)
Encouragement of intra-ASEAN dialogues and external dialogues to maintain regional security
Creation of Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) in addendum to ZOPFAN
Institutionalisation of ASEAN summits → One Formal summit every three years
External Power involvement in Summits (ASEAN +3 Summit with China, Japan, Korea)
Pre-Existing Economic Committees Scrapped → Senior Economic Officials Meeting took control of all ASEAN economic cooperation initiatives and ministerial level council established to monitor implementation of ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA)
Appointment of ASEAN Sec-Gen → given similar status as minister → appointment changes every 5 years → expansion of job scope to initiate, advise, coordinate and implement ASEAN activities
When did Brunei join ASEAN?
Jan 1984
Sat in ASEAN ministerial meetings as an observer in the early 1980s
Became a member shortly after independence
When did Vietnam join ASEAN?
July 1995
1992: Granted observer status after consenting to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC); formally applied in 1994 → accepted in 1995
Significance of Vietnam joining ASEAN?
To ASEAN:
Vietnam was a strong card against China → strengthen ASEAN’s legitimacy against foreign power
Large untapped market for ASEAN products
Warming of relations between Vietnam and ASEAN member states in the late 80s-90s
Thai PM Chatichai → Battlefields to Marketplaces → desirous of close economic links with Vietnam from 1988 and supported Vietnamese membership of ASEAN in 1990
Late 1990: Suharto visited Hanoi
1991: Mahathir proposed initiation of ASEAN-VNM Dialogue
Why did Vietnam join ASEAN?
COMECON accounted for 70% of her trade; lost much of its economic market after dissolution of Soviet Union (end of CW)
Need for economic markets and political allies → turned towards ASEAN
When did Myanmar join ASEAN?
July 1997
July 1994: Foreign Ministers of Cambodia and Myanmar joined eight others on the occasion of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
1996: Foreign Ministers accorded observer status to Myanmar, before membership in 1997
Significance of Myanmar joining ASEAN?
Initially determined to maintain its international isolation due to its resolve to stay non-aligned.
ASEAN justified its admission of Myanmar on the basis of its principle of non-interference
Yet ASEAN still sought to temper international criticism by claiming to pursue ‘constructive engagement’ with the military junta
Constructive engagement → quiet informal diplomatic efforts to get the junta to change while avoiding public criticism or economic sanctions on the regime.
Western response to Myanmar’s admission to ASEAN?
US and EU criticised ASEAN for policy of constructive engagement with military junta:
US levied new sanctions on Burma even as ASEAN prepared for her accession in 1997
EU refusal to allow Myanmar to participate in Asia-Europe meeting
EU declined to lift visa ban on Myanmar officials - ASEAN responded in solidarity by refusal to show up for the 13th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting
When did Laos join ASEAN?
July 1997
Why did Laos join ASEAN?
Laos saw the benefits of ASEAN membership:
Preserve national sovereignty
Establish conducive environment for national development
Enhance bargaining power with non-ASEAN states and for economic development (trade)
When did Cambodia join ASEAN?
April 1999
Observer status in 1994
Supposed to be admitted at the same time as Laos and Burma (23 July 1997) → ASEAN decided to postpone admission to 1999 due to internal instability
Why did Cambodia join ASEAN?
Drawn to ASEAN due to peace and stability; economic development; platform for international relations
Why were SEA states able to join ASEAN as and when they liked?
The Bangkok Declaration stated that ‘the Association is open for participation to all states in the SEA region’.