Updated July 26, 2022
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Overview
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), first convened in
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is
1994 with 26 Asian and Pacific states plus the EU, was
Southeast Asia’s primary multilateral organization, a 10-
formed to facilitate dialogue on political and security
member grouping of nations with a combined population of
matters. The East Asia Summit (EAS), created in 2005, is
660 million and a combined annual gross domestic product
an evolving, leaders-level forum with a varied agenda, in
(GDP) of around $3.1 trillion in 2021. Established in 1967,
which the United States gained membership in 2010. The
it has grown into one of the world’s largest regional fora,
EAS includes all 10 ASEAN members, plus Australia,
representing a strategically important region straddling
China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea,
some of the world’s busiest sea lanes, including the Straits
and the United States. The ASEAN Defense Ministers
of Malacca and the South China Sea. Taken collectively,
Meeting-Plus (ADMM+), established in 2010, brings
ASEAN would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy
senior defense officials from EAS members together
and the United States’ fourth-largest export market.
regularly and hosts multilateral military exchanges.
ASEAN’s members are Brunei, Burma (Myanmar),
In recent years, as cooperation through non-ASEAN
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines,
regional groupings such as the Quadrilateral Security
Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Members rotate as
Dialogue and the Australia-UK-U.S. (AUKUS) security
chair: Cambodia is ASEAN’s chair for 2022 and Indonesia
grouping has deepened, some Southeast Asian observers
is to assume the chair in 2023. ASEAN engages in a wide
have expressed concern about ASEAN’s place in U.S.
range of diplomatic, economic and security discussions
strategy. The Biden Administration casts its March 2022
through hundreds of annual meetings and through a
summit with ASEAN leaders as a tangible demonstration of
secretariat based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2008, the United
U.S. commitment to the organization.
States became the first non-ASEAN nation to appoint a
representative to ASEAN, and in 2011 it opened a U.S.
mission to ASEAN in Jakarta with a resident ambassador.
Several other nations have followed suit. President Biden
held a summit with ASEAN’s leaders on May 12-13 in
Washington, DC. (Burma’s junta leader and outgoing
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte did not attend.)
ASEAN leaders also met with a bipartisan group of
Members including House Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader
Hoyer, and Minority Leader McCarthy.
ASEAN is a diverse and informal organization. Two of its
core operating principles are consensual decisionmaking
and noninterference in the internal affairs of its members.

Some observers argue that this style constrains ASEAN
Source: Graphic created by CRS.
from acting strongly and cohesively on important issues.
Others argue that these principles—dubbed the “ASEAN
U.S.-ASEAN Relations
Way”—promote regional stability and ensure that the
The United States has long had strong bilateral relations
group’s members continue to discuss issues where their
with individual Southeast Asian nations, including treaty
interests sometimes diverge. The principle has been tested
alliances with the Philippines and Thailand and a close
as ASEAN seeks to address the crisis that has followed the
security partnership with Singapore. Many U.S.
Burmese military’s 2021 coup d’etat.
policymakers see engagement with ASEAN as
ASEAN and Asian Regional Architecture complementing bilateral relationships and strengthening the
region’s collective diplomatic weight as other regional
Asia has no dominant EU-style multilateral body, and many
players gain in economic and military power. The United
observers see the region’s economic and security
States initially supported ASEAN as a means to promote
institutions as underdeveloped. ASEAN convenes and
regional dialogue and as a bulwark against Communism,
administratively supports a number of regional fora that
becoming an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977. In 2009,
include other governments (known as “dialogue partners”),
the United States acceded to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity
including the United States. ASEAN Member governments
deeply value what they call “ASEAN Centrality” in the
and Cooperation and committed to an annual U.S.-ASEAN
Meeting. In 2012, the United States and ASEAN agreed to
evolving regional architecture.
raise the level of the U.S.-ASEAN meeting to a Leaders
Meeting, and in November 2015 announced a U.S.-ASEAN
Strategic Partnership.
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
Successive U.S. Administrations have identified deep U.S.
resorting to the threat or use of force,” to “exercise self-
interests in Southeast Asia, including fostering democracy
restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate
and human rights, encouraging liberal trade and investment
or escalate disputes,” and to work toward the creation of a
regimes, addressing maritime security and tensions in the
formal Code of Conduct to govern activities in the region.
South China Sea, promoting environmental protection,
However, the group’s members have deep disagreements
countering piracy and terrorism, combatting human
over how to approach the negotiations with China. Some
trafficking and trafficking in narcotics and wildlife, and
ASEAN members, particularly Cambodia and Laos, have
addressing public health risks including the Coronavirus
been hesitant to join a unified ASEAN response. The
Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which hit Southeast Asia
United States has generally supported ASEAN members’
particularly hard. The Biden Administration faces a range
efforts to push back against Chinese assertions.
of challenges in engaging with ASEAN, including
ASEAN’s efforts to address the coup in Burma, and
ASEAN’s Economic Integration
regional concerns about the impact of growing Sino-U.S.
ASEAN members play a major role in regional supply
tensions. Many Southeast Asian officials have welcomed
chains, and U.S. companies are significant investors in
U.S. efforts to push back against Chinese actions, but many
several ASEAN economies. ASEAN has an internal free
are also concerned that efforts to “contain” China could be
trade agreement (the ASEAN FTA, or AFTA.) In 2015, the
counter-productive.
group launched an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
to promote trade liberalization and regulatory
The United States has pursued a series of initiatives with
harmonization among members, with the goal of creating a
ASEAN. U.S.-ASEAN Connect was created in 2016 to
single ASEAN market and integrated manufacturing base.
coordinate U.S. public- and private-sector economic
ASEAN has trade agreements with several regional
initiatives through the U.S. Mission to ASEAN and the U.S.
partners, including Australia, China, India, Japan, New
Embassies in Bangkok and Singapore. Other initiatives
Zealand, and South Korea. In 2019, ASEAN and five of
include an expanded Fulbright Exchange of ASEAN-U.S.
those nations concluded a trade agreement known as the
Scholars and the Young Southeast Asian Leaders
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Initiative (YSEALI), which offers scholarships and
(RCEP) (India withdrew). Four ASEAN nations—Brunei,
opportunities for young leaders. The United States provides
Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam—are members of the
aid for ASEAN’s formation of a Single Customs Window
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-
to facilitate trade. A U.S.-ASEAN Smart Cities
Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). ASEAN members seek to
Partnership was launched in 2018 to promote U.S.
promote infrastructure development, particularly in building
investment in the region’s digital infrastructure. In 2021,
greater regional “connectivity” through investment in
the Biden Administration announced $102 million in new
transport and information technology. This has led to
funding for public health, climate, and economic initiatives
substantial demand for foreign investment, including in
for the region, and the Administration subsequently
some cases through China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
announced $150 million in new initiatives at the 2022
summit, including investments in infrastructure, health
Human Rights and the Burma Crisis
security, education and $60 million to expand maritime
The United States—and some of ASEAN’s own
cooperation, most of which are to be led by the U.S. Coast
members—have long voiced concerns about human rights
Guard. The Administration has also announced plans for an
conditions in several ASEAN member states. Some
Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. However, U.S. trade
ASEAN members are effectively one-party states, and
and economic arrangements with ASEAN itself are limited
coups in Burma (2021) and Thailand (2006 and 2014)
by the vast diversity of the group’s economies.
deposed democratically elected governments. ASEAN’s
approach to human rights violations among its members has
ASEAN, China, and the South China Sea become a touchstone issue with the crisis in Burma, in
China is the largest trade partner and a major source of
which the military is said to have killed nearly 1,600 people
investment for many Southeast Asian nations. However,
as of March 3, 2022. In April, 2021, ASEAN issued a five-
concerns about China’s growing power in the region,
point plan for resolving the crisis, but successive ASEAN
including worries that China may use its economic leverage
Envoys to Burma have had little success in lessening
to achieve political goals and anger over China’s efforts to
violence and promoting dialogue. Other human rights issues
exert control over much of the South China Sea, have
in ASEAN include the Cambodian government’s banning
strained relations among some ASEAN members. Most
of the political opposition, thousands of extra-judicial
ASEAN members rely on the U.S. security presence and
killings under the Philippines’ anti-drug program, and
strong trade and investment ties with the United States to
continued moves by Thailand to protect military authority
ensure stability and enhance their economic development.
through restrictions on civil rights. The U.S. mission to
ASEAN has sought to foster networks among the region’s
Four members—Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and
civil society groups to build capacity among
Vietnam—have maritime territorial disputes with China (as
nongovernmental actors.
well as with each other), and others have interests in the
South China Sea’s natural resources and shipping lanes. In
CRS Intern Hasna Naseer contributed to this report.
2002, ASEAN and China agreed to a nonbinding
Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South
Ben Dolven, Specialist in Asian Affairs
China Sea, in which they agreed to “resolve their territorial
and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without
IF10348
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF10348 · VERSION 16 · UPDATED

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