REGIONALISM ECONOMIC AND RESPONS IN PANDEMIC COVID-19

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Abstract

The emergence of a new priority (world role) in the form of regional integration
which is used as the basis for a paradigm, where group interests are the main or in
other words, the existing regional interests paradigm. In turn, they will contribute
to their respective national interests. Paradigm of regional interests that are
formulated into regional cooperation in several regions/regions of the world today
which will lead to the nature of grouping themselves into a constellation of
regional/global interests. The constellation of international relations has changed
drastically (post-Cold War) the world is colored by polarization which has pushed
the Developing World and the Developed World to reaffirm its existence. This
tendency when faced with various problems, such as security, politics and the
world economy, it turns out that justice is still not found. Various efforts were also
made by countries to accommodate differences in interests between countries in a
regional nature. Cooperation in a region can increase regionalization in all aspects
of the problem. Countries in the world have indirectly agreed that regionalism is
needed to answer the challenges ahead. Although at first the development of
regionalism could not be separated from the framework of the problems faced in a
region itself. History has also recorded developments around regionalization
which are manifested in economic, political and security cooperation. A concrete
example is the proliferation of international organizations at the regional or global
level.
 A. Introduction

Since the Covid-19 disease outbreak (pandemic) hit Wuhan City and spread
outside of China, it has become one of the significant non-traditional security
threats in the Southeast Asian region. To respond to that, both China as the source
of the emergence of the pandemic and countries in the region that are members of
the ASEAN community, decide their respective attitudes and policies. Some of
their national policies are tolerant and cooperative, as well as mutually supportive,
but there are also those that appear to show more selfishness and national interest.
Given that there is mutual influence, whatever policies are taken will determine
the failure or success of efforts to deal with the pandemic effectively in the region
and at the global level. One of the policies decided directly by member countries
(Mansfield et al., 2019).

Outside ASEAN, the existence and role of external powers takes place
dynamically. Meanwhile, ASEAN continues to strengthen its institutionalization
process by continuing various ministerial level conferences as an important part of
strengthening their relationship. The rapid and violent outbreak of the Covid-19
pandemic will have implications for the practice of ASEAN regionalism. The
extent of the dynamics needs to be discussed in this brief study, because it will
affect the prospects for regionalism. This study also reveals the responses taken
by ASEAN member countries to see which countries seem cooperative,
contradictory, controversial or conducive to global efforts in combating the spread
of the Covid-19 pandemic(Karunia, 2020).

Community participation is an instrument to measure the level of integration

and disintegration of a region. Mansfield and Milner (2019: 589-627.) explain that
integration can take place between complementary areas. For example, the
European Union (EU) has a long history of interaction before being integrated
through the spirit of economic cooperation. However, the community also
determines the development of economic dynamics that develop in the region, so
that as long as the lockdown policy at the regional level does not last for a long
time, or forever, the existence and development of the three ASEAN pillars will
not be too affected. Resistance to lockdown policies in several countries,
including airports and seaports, is an indication that countries in the region do not
want to ignore the importance of regionalism. Then, the synergy by promoting an
inclusive development paradigm reflects how ASEAN member countries want to
save their regional cooperation. Increased social interaction and cooperation will
strengthen integration in Southeast Asia. In addition to the role of government, the
dominant role of the community in development is needed to maintain regional
integration(Sudiro et al., 2020).

The lockdown policy, which was decided firmly by Singapore early on, has
been followed by the Philippines and Malaysia, 8 and Indonesia recently, and has
contributed to the disruption in the industrial sector. For decades, since the 1970s,
Southeast Asia has been a major destination for oil and gas and non-oil and gas
commodity export markets for fellow ASEAN member countries and major
regional powers such as China. With the impact of the economic sector due to the
contamination of the Covid-19 pandemic, China's international trade fell 11.6% in
January and February 2020, with tourism service exports declining 23.1%. The
World Bank has warned that even in the best case scenario, economic
development in the region could experience a drastic decline. China's economic
expansion itself has experienced a slowdown to 2.3% from 6.1% in 2019. Ahead
of and at the time of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, rivalry and efforts to
seize influence between the two superpowers in the region, namely the US and
China, are still ongoing(Pratama, 2020).

For example, in November 2019 the US Government did not receive an

invitation to the ASEAN summit in Bangkok, because the US only wanted to send
a ministerial-level delegation. This has implications for the absence of the
ASEAN-US Summit which Trump has proposed to be held in Las Vegas in
March 2020. Meanwhile, the US government has been campaigning for a "Buy
American Product" in Southeast Asia. The counterproductive attitude of the US
has made the Philippine government, which has been its close partner, distance
itself even further, which was clearly seen when China aggressively launched
mask diplomacy to help ASEAN fight the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile,
Thailand still wants to balance cooperation with the two superpowers.

B. Methods

This study uses a literature study method where the author is guided by the
results of the literature or other articles that raise related titles.

C. Results And Discusion

1. Respons ASEAN

China, as a substitute for the existence and role of the old superpower, the US,
after the tensions created by its policies and maneuvers in the South China Sea,
since January 2020 has begun to show a friendly attitude as a form of
reconciliation with countries in the region, especially ASEAN members. After the
outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has quickly offered
medical equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) assistance to
countries in Southeast Asia. Likewise, their non-state actors, such as Jack Ma,
owner of a highly respected transnational company in China, have moved to offer
assistance with the corporate social responsibility initiatives of a number of their
companies. The initiatives and steps taken by China with this 'mask diplomacy'
are interpreted as a means of re-branding its government in maintaining and
maintaining the continuity of its regional relations with ASEAN, especially in
relation to economic cooperation(Leonard, 2020).

In the last few weeks when the Corona virus contamination intensified in the
Southeast Asia region, Chinese state and non-state actors aggressively offered
humanitarian assistance, the most prominent of which was the delivery of PPE.
This humanitarian diplomacy step cannot be considered small because various
countries in the world, even large countries such as the US and the EU, are facing
a shortage of PPE when the pandemic is spreading. There are encouraging
developments in China, which shows that factory activity began to swell at the
end of March 2020. This new condition will provide an opportunity for the
Chinese Government to be able to provide greater humanitarian assistance to
ASEAN member countries, their partners in the region, in combating and cope
with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, mask diplomacy is expected to
increase to a higher and wider direction to other sectors that are directly affected.

The lockdown policy in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic was carried out
strictly in the city of Wuhan, China, with strict security control. This policy
backfired for China, because it was imitated or followed by ASEAN member
countries such as Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia, considering its
effective results. It should be noted, this policy is not permanent and limited, does
not apply to the entire vast territory of China, except Wuhan and is limited to parts
of Hubei Province. The same thing happened in several ASEAN countries. So,
this policy will not erase regional regionalism and its relationship with China,
other than only for a few months. Because, realistically, China's state and non-
state actors play an active role in helping ASEAN with its humanitarian
diplomacy and masks. The unilateral decision by Singapore, the Philippines and
Malaysia to close airports for Chinese tourists cannot be interpreted as an attitude
that does not show solidarity with China, which is being hit by a disaster. The
solution taken is more of a medical consideration, not political(Mahendra, 2019).

This is in contrast to the steps taken by Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, which
did not implement a lockdown. They are indeed very dependent on China's
foreign aid, especially the economy, in addition to still facing the minimal impact
of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Indonesia's attitude which does not immediately
repatriate Chinese tourists, especially from Bali, is purely humanitarian. Policies
that vary in the ASEAN environment are also evident in the EU. The decisions
taken are reactive, because 10 countries in Southeast Asia and Europe are not
ready to respond to the Corona virus attack. The US president, who at first made
fun of China, which was hit by the Covid-19 disaster, has now turned to pleading
with China for an urgent need for masks and ventilators, after the death toll was
far higher. With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, ASEAN regionalism has
been challenged and its existence questioned. The commitment of member
countries and the influence of external threats, especially the issue of non-
traditional security threats from the Covid-19 pandemic, emerged as factors that
influenced the development of regionalism in the region. This is understandable
considering the high and fast level of mobility and population movement in the
era of globalization.

In the context of Southeast Asia, the discussion about regionalism cannot be

separated from the organization between Southeast Asian countries or the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The existence of ASEAN is
undeniably making the process of regionalization of Southeast Asia take place
more easily and quickly. The implementation of the ASEAN Economic
Community (AEC) or the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 is proof that the
people of Southeast Asia with various shortcomings and advantages want to open
themselves to interact and cooperate with each other in various aspects ranging
from politics, economy and social. Although Southeast Asian regionalism is going
well, the building of regionalism cannot be separated from the intervention of
foreign powers ar who “want” regional political stability. In other words, political
elements from outside Southeast Asia played an important role, especially in the
Cold War era in which ASEAN was founded as well as the building of
communist-capitalist political competition. This means that the political
orientation in the vision of the ASEAN organization is very dominant compared
to other factors, such as the economy(Mahendra, 2019).

2. Economy

Practically, the concept of regionalism is often used interchangeably with the

concept of region/region, subregion/subregion, or subsystem. The discussion on
the relationship between the concept of security and the area consists of
actors/actors; environment and the relationship between actors and the
environment. An actor (state and nation) will always interact with its external
environment, both geographically close or far apart. Regional development
policies throughout the world cover the economic, social, political, and other
fields, both in their respective countries as a whole and internationally. This
analysis is very important in order to apply existing theories and concepts to
accelerate the country's growth, one of which is in the economic field such as
increasing job creation and growth in their respective countries. All of that is
needed to improve the development process and at the same time to improve the
welfare of the community. Furthermore, not all countries can fulfill their
economic needs from their own natural resources. Each country needs natural
resources and requires the assistance of experts from other countries to accelerate
the economy of a country and the progress of the country. One way of
engagement in the world economy is through the concept of economic
regionalization.

In Indonesian, this region is usually used as the equivalent of the word region.
The term region is used to refer to a geographical space that shows the spatial
involvement of several administrative areas, either partially or wholly. Definition
of Region in Supra-national context for example: European Union, ASEAN and
so on. Regionalization is the growth of social interaction within an area and the
process of indirect social and economic interaction. Regionalization is also
commonly referred to as an economy which has an impact on the dependence
between countries in a region. Regionalization is a dynamic within a region that
forms a common identification. The meaning of the same identification is the
identity which is then united. Regionalization is usually in the form of cooperation
between countries in one region. Regionalization can be seen from migration,
markets, social networks. These three things can increase the interaction that binds
countries and form a new region that crosses borders. For example, ASEAN is a
form of regionalization in the Southeast Asian region(Mencapai et al., 2015).

The constellation of international relations has changed drastically (post-Cold

War) the world is colored by polarization which has pushed the Developing
World and the Developed World to reaffirm its existence. This tendency when
faced with various problems, such as security, politics and the world economy, it
turns out that justice is still not found. Various efforts were also made by
countries to accommodate differences in interests between countries in a regional
nature. Cooperation in a region can increase regionalization in all aspects of the
problem. Countries in the world have indirectly agreed that regionalism is needed
to answer the challenges ahead. Although at first the development of regionalism
could not be separated from the framework of the problems faced in a region
itself. History has also recorded developments around regionalization which are
manifested in economic, political and security cooperation. A concrete example is
the proliferation of international organizations at the regional or global level.

D. Conclusion

The attitude of ASEAN member countries towards China when the Covid-19
pandemic just broke out in Wuhan City seemed torn between those who showed
high empathy and solidarity with those who were still open to China and were in a
position to see and wait for developments (wait and see). On the other hand,
China's offer of assistance, both from state (government) and non-state actors for
the need for PPE procurement in ASEAN member countries, is one indicator of
the concern of the new superpower to show its significant role and influence in the
region.

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