Updated February 10, 2020
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Overview
Russia, South Korea, and the United States. The ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM+) was
Southeast Asia’s primary multilateral organization, a 10-
established in 2010, bringing senior defense officials from
member grouping of nations with a combined population of
EAS members together regularly and hosting multilateral
630 million and a combined annual gross domestic product
military exchanges.
(GDP) of around $2.4 trillion. Established in 1967, it has
grown into one of the world’s largest regional fora,
representing a strategically important region with some of
the world’s busiest sea lanes, including the Straits of
Malacca and the South China Sea. Taken collectively,
ASEAN would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy
and the United States’ fourth-largest export market.
ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Members rotate as
chair: Vietnam is ASEAN’s chair for 2020 and Brunei is to
assume the chair in 2021. ASEAN engages in a wide range
of diplomatic, economic and security discussions through

hundreds of annual meetings and through a secretariat
Source: Graphic created by CRS.
based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2008, the United States
became the first non-ASEAN nation to appoint a
U.S.-ASEAN Relations
representative to ASEAN, and in 2011 opened a U.S.
The United States has long had strong bilateral relations
mission to ASEAN in Jakarta with a resident Ambassador.
with individual Southeast Asian nations, including treaty
Several other nations have followed suit.
alliances with the Philippines and Thailand and a close
security partnership with Singapore. Some U.S. officials
ASEAN is a diverse and informal organization, operating
have spoken of a need to strengthen ties with the region’s
on principles including consensus and noninterference in
multilateral institutions as well. The United States initially
the internal affairs of its members. Some observers argue
supported ASEAN as a means to promote regional dialogue
that this style constrains ASEAN from acting strongly and
and as a bulwark against Communism in Asia, becoming an
cohesively on important issues. Others argue that these
ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977. In 2009, the United
principles—dubbed the “ASEAN Way”—ensure that the
group’s diverse members continue to discuss is
States acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and
sues where
Cooperation and committed to an annual U.S.-ASEAN
their interests sometimes diverge. ASEAN includes nations
Meeting. In 2012, it raised the level of the U.S.-ASEAN
across the economic development spectrum, and its political
meeting to a Leaders Meeting, and in November 2015, it
systems include democracies, semi-authoritarian states, and
announced the creation of a U.S.-ASEAN Strategic
repressive military regimes.
Partnership.
ASEAN and Asian Regional Architecture Successive U.S. Administrations have identified deep U.S.
Asia has no dominant EU-style multilateral body, and many
see the region’s economic and security “architectures”
interests in Southeast Asia, including fostering democracy
as
and human rights, encouraging liberal trade and investment
underdeveloped. ASEAN convenes and administratively
regimes, addressing maritime security and tensions in the
supports a number of regional forums that include other
South China Sea, promoting environmental protection,
regional governments (known as “dialogue partners”),
countering terrorism, and combatting human trafficking and
including the United States. Member governments deeply
value what they call “ASEAN Centrality” in the evolving
trafficking in narcotics and wildlife. Increasingly, observers
see the region as an area of strategic and economic
regional architecture.
competition between the United States and China.
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), established in 1994
The Trump Administration has cast its regional strategy as
with 26 Asian and Pacific states plus the EU, was formed to
the promotion of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, a
facilitate dialogue on political and security matters. The
formulation that raises some concern for some ASEAN
East Asia Summit (EAS), created in 2005, is an evolving
members, who see the group itself as a central hub for
institution with a varied agenda, in which the United States
regional diplomacy. Administration officials have sought to
gained membership in 2010. The EAS includes ASEAN
reassure ASEAN of its importance. “ASEAN is literally at
members, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand,
the center of the Indo-Pacific,” Secretary of State Mike
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Pompeo said in July 2018, “and it plays a central role in the
particularly Cambodia and Laos, have been hesitant to join
Indo-Pacific vision that America is presenting.” The
a unified ASEAN response to Chinese assertions.
Administration intends to hold a summit meeting with
ASEAN leaders in Las Vegas, NV, in March 2020, the
ASEAN’s Economic Integration
second such meeting on U.S. soil, following a 2016 U.S.-
ASEAN members play a major role in regional supply
ASEAN Special Leaders’ Summit in Sunnylands,
chains, and U.S. companies are significant investors in
California. However, in a region where “showing up” is
several of the ASEAN economies. ASEAN has an internal
considered important, many Southeast Asians are
free trade agreement (the ASEAN FTA, or AFTA). In
concerned that President Trump has not attended the past
December 2015, the group launched an ASEAN Economic
two regular U.S.-ASEAN summits in Asia.
Community (AEC) to promote further trade liberalization
measures and regulatory harmonization among ASEAN’s
The United States has launched a series of initiatives with
members, with the goal of creating a single ASEAN market
ASEAN and other regional institutions. U.S.-ASEAN
and integrated manufacturing base. Observers note that the
Connect was created in 2016 to coordinate U.S. public- and
AEC goes only partway toward this goal, and that ASEAN
private-sector economic initiatives through the U.S.
nations may pursue further reforms in the years ahead.
Mission to ASEAN and the U.S. Embassies in Bangkok and
Singapore. Other U.S. initiatives include an expanded
ASEAN members seek to promote infrastructure
Fulbright Exchange of ASEAN-U.S. Scholars, aid for
development in the region, particularly in building greater
ASEAN’s formation of a Single Customs Window to
regional “connectivity” through investment in transport and
facilitate easier trade of goods and services, and the Young
IT. This has led to substantial demand for foreign
Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), which
investment, including in some cases through China’s Belt
offers scholarships and opportunities for young leaders. In
and Road Initiative (BRI). ASEAN’s individual members
November, 2018, Vice President Pence announced a U.S.-
have differing approaches to the BRI. Cambodia and Laos,
ASEAN Smart Cities Partnership, to promote U.S.
for example, have embraced the BRI as a means of
investment in the region’s digital infrastructure. U.S. trade
developing much needed infrastructure. Malaysia and
and economic arrangements with ASEAN have been
Vietnam, by contrast, have been highly vocal about
limited by the vast diversity of the group’s economic
concerns surrounding the terms of BRI investments.
development. According to the World Bank, in 2018 per
capita GDP among ASEAN members, based on purchasing
ASEAN has trade agreements with several Asian partners,
power parity, ranged from $101,532 in Singapore to $4,361
including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and
in Cambodia.
South Korea. In 2019, ASEAN and five of those nations
(excepting India), concluded a regional trade agreement
ASEAN, China, and the South China Sea known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic
With U.S.-China tensions and uncertainty about U.S.
Partnership (RCEP). Four ASEAN nations—Brunei,
commitment to the region growing sharply under the Trump
Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam—are members of the
Administration, many Southeast Asian nations are re-
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-
examining their relations with both China and the United
Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
States. China is the largest trade partner and a major source
of investment for many Southeast Asian nations. However,
ASEAN and Human Rights
concerns that China may use its economic leverage to
Human rights conditions in several ASEAN members have
achieve political goals, combined with anger over China’s
long been a concern for the United States, and sometimes
territorial assertions in the South China Sea, have
the group’s own members. While some members, such as
constrained closer ties. Meanwhile, most rely on the U.S.
Indonesia and the Philippines, are democratic, others,
security presence and strong trade and investment ties with
including Laos and Vietnam, are effectively one-party
the United States to ensure stability and enhance their
states. Human rights advocates are deeply concerned about
economic development.
Burma’s treatment of its Rohingya and other ethnic
minorities, the Cambodian government’s intimidation of its
ASEAN nations are seeking to lower regional tensions by
political opposition, thousands of extra-judicial killings
concluding a Code of Conduct for parties in the South
under the Philippines’ anti-drug program, and continued
China Sea. In 2002, ASEAN and China agreed to a
moves by Thailand to protect military authority.
nonbinding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the
South China Sea, in which they agreed to “resolve their
ASEAN’s 2007 Charter attempts to bring some amount of
territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means,
pressure to bear upon member states on human rights, but
without resorting to the threat or use of force,” to “exercise
progress has been limited. The charter created a formal
self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would
Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights, but the
complicate or escalate disputes,” and to work toward the
body has been criticized by some human rights
creation of a formal Code of Conduct to govern activities in
organizations as largely symbolic. The U.S. mission to
the region. However, the group’s members have deep
ASEAN has sought to foster networks among the region’s
disagreements over how to approach the negotiations with
civil society groups so as to build capacity among non-
China. Four members—Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines,
governmental actors in Southeast Asia.
and Vietnam—have maritime territorial disputes with China
(as well as with each other). Observers say other members,
Ben Dolven, Specialist in Asian Affairs
IF10348
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10348 · VERSION 8 · UPDATED

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