REGIONALISM

• political ideology that focuses on the national or normative

interests of a particular region, group of regions or another
subnational entity
• the construction and utilization of multilateral
intergovernmental institutions to share information; to
develop, endorse, and enforce common rules and
regulations; and to settle disputes
WHAT IS ASIAN
REGIONALISM?
HISTORY

• Asian regionalism began to blossom in the late 1990s it

was when the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis began in
Thailand and then quickly spread to neighbouring
economies
ASIAN REGIONALISM
• product of economic interaction of Asian countries,
not political planning
• does not imply a fortress in Asia, but creates a
network of bridges
• entails a partnership for regionally and globally
shared prosperity in Asia
• integration has been driven more by markets than by
governments
ORGANIZATIONS
• ASEAN
(Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
• APEC
(Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation)
• APT
(ASEAN Plus Three)
• APS
• (ASEAN Plus Six)
• EAS
(East Asian Summit)
• APC
(Asia Pacific Community)
• EAC
(East Asian Community)
ASEAN
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations
• International organization that focuses on Southeast
Asian countries
• established by the governments of
- Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines,
Singapore, and Thailand in 8 August 1967
• to accelerate and advocate
- economic growth, social progress, cultural
development and to promote peace and security
in Southeast Asia
ASEAN
• Brunei joined in 1984, followed by Vietnam in
1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in
1999
• population of more than 600 million and covers a total
area of 4.5 million square km
• replaced the Association of South East Asia (ASA),
which had been formed by the Philippines, Thailand,
and the Federation of Malaya (now part of Malaysia)
in 1961
• Initially named Southeast Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation
ASEAN
• THREE PILLARS
- Security Community
- Economic Community
- Socio-Cultural Community

• SIGNED THE ASEAN AGREEMENT

- Adam Malik of Indonesia
- Narciso Ramos of the Philippines
- Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia
- S. Rajaratnam of Singapore
- Tun Thanat Khoman of Thailand
ASEAN
• PLUS THREE
- China
- Japan
- Korea

• PLUS SIX
- China
- Japan
- Korea
- India
- Australia
- New Zealand
ASEAN

• cooperation focuses on political security, sustainable

development, sociocultural development, economic
and financial cooperation
• established to accelerate economic
growth  in  East  Asian  countries,  promote 
cooperation  in  energy,  foods,  and 
other  fields  vital  to  economic  activities
WHY ASEAN REPLACED
ASA?
ASA
• Association of South East Asia
• Constituted on 31 July 1961 with Malaya, Thailand
and the Philippines as members

ASEAN replaced ASA because of:

• inability to obtain endorsements from other Southeast
Asian countries, most crucially Indonesia
• breakdown of bilateral relations between two of its
members – Malaya and the Philippines – over the
formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963
ASA

• improvement in multilateral ties marked by the end of

Indonesia’s Confrontation policy in August 1966
against Malaysia and the normalisation of relations
between Malaysia and the Philippines in June 1966,
ASA initiated discussions to include more members.
• May 1967, plans to enlarge ASA were replaced by a
proposal to form a new grouping based on ASA’s
framework
• August in the same year, ASEAN was established
HOW REGIONALISM
CAN BENEFIT ASIA?
BENEFITS

- regional cooperation, effectively structured and

implemented, is a powerful new tool in Asia’s policy
arsenal. It can help Asia address regional challenges as
well as provide stronger foundations for its global role
LIST OF BENEFITS

• link the competitive strengths of its diverse economies in order to

boost their productivity and sustain the region’s exceptional growth
• connect the region’s capital markets to enhance financial stability,
reduce the cost of capital, and improve opportunities for sharing
risks
LIST OF BENEFITS
• cooperate in setting exchange rate and macroeconomic policies in
order to minimize the effects of global and regional shocks and to
facilitate the resolution of global imbalances
• pool the region’s foreign exchange reserves to make more resources
available for investment and development
• create regional mechanisms to manage cross-border health, safety,
and environmental issues better
LIST OF BENEFITS
• exercise leadership in global decision making to sustain the open
global trade and financial systems that have supported a half century
of unparalleled economic development;
• build connected infrastructure and collaborate on inclusive
development to reduce inequalities within and across economies and
thus to strengthen support for pro-growth policies
 HOW ASIAN
REGIONALISM CAN
BENEFIT THE WORLD?
BENEFITS

- as Asia’s economies continue to integrate not just with

each other, but also with the rest of the world, sustained
Asian dynamism, strengthened by regional cooperation,
could bolster Asia’s role as a new and stabilizing engine
of global economic growth
LIST OF BENEFITS
• contribute to the efficiency and stability of global financial
markets by making Asian capital markets stronger and safer, and by
maximizing the productive use of Asian savings
• diversify sources of global demand, helping to stabilize the world
economy and diminish the risks posed by global imbalances and
downturns in other major economies
LIST OF BENEFITS
• provide leadership to help sustain open global trade and financial
systems
• create regional mechanisms to manage health, safety, and
environmental issues better, and thus contribute to more effective
global solutions of these problems
• generate productivity gains, new ideas, and competition that boost
economic growth and raise incomes across the world
WORLD REGIONALISM
• North America
NAFTA
• South America
Mercosur
• Australia and New Zealand
Closer Economic Relations
• Europe
European Union
 WHAT ARE THE
HINDRANCES IN ASIAN
REGIONALISM?
HINDRANCES
• Asia is undoubtedly more diverse
- Development
(rich Singapore to very poor Laos)
- Politics
(democratic South Korea to dictatorship North Korea)
- Economics
(free markets to state capitalism and more)
- Religion
(Christian Philippines to Muslim Indonesia)
HINDRANCES
• Populous country might dominate the bloc
- Large economies like China and Japan, or very populous (large markets)
like India, might dominate the bloc and split it up according to their interest
or drastically change the agenda or policies
• Some countries do not want to participate
- North Korea enclosed itself in having relationship even to its neighbouring
countries
 WHAT IS THE
RELEVANCE TO
CONTEMPORARY
WORLD?
RELEVANCE
• Better Asia means a better world
• More stable economy will benefit not just Asia but all the
countries around the globe
• Deep understanding about what is happening in our world today
• As part of Asian countries, we need to know what we can do to
help our country improve as responsible and active citizens
 CONCLUSION:
Asia’s regionalism is most
certainly a work-in-progress,
but it is progressing step-by-
step