"The twelve economies which have joined TPP Agreement constitute 38 per cent of world GDP, 26 per cent of world trade and 11 per cent of world population in 2012. The absence of China in the TPP negotiations has led to speculation that the TPP is an economic tool for the U.S. to contain China's rise in East Asia".
The ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das evaluates that the evolution of TPP does not indicate any such intention and that China and the current TPP members have strong trade linkages in ISEAS Perspective, first published on 17th May 2013.
To read the full article, please click here.
"ASEAN and six other nations are launching the RCEP negotiations in Brunei in early May 2013, with the likelihood of completion by the end of 2015..... if successfully negotiated, is likely to generate a GDP of US$26.2 trillion (32 per cent of the world), effecting about 3.5 billion people (48 per cent of the world population)...further entrench ASEAN Centrality and demonstrate ASEAN’s capability to bring together its own ten members and external partners for economic growth, development and harmonisation"
The ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das talks about moving beyond the ASEAN +1 FTAs through the ongoing RCEP negotiations and its significance for maintaining ASEAN Centrality in ISEAS Perspective, first published on 10th May 2013.
To read the full article, please click here.
"ASEAN and APEC have been active in promoting economic and developmental cooperation in Southeast Asia and the wider Pacific region ........ cooperation between them is expected to increase in the near future."
In the final of a three-part series for ISEAS Perspective, first published on 8 May 2013, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das and ASC Research Assistants Catherine Rose James and Pham Thi Phuong Thao, identify areas of mutual interest and collaboration between APEC and ASEAN, particularly around connectivity issues.
To read the full article, please click here.
The ASEAN Studies Centre hosted a seminar on Tuesday 7 May 2013 entitled "ASEAN Post Summit Analysis and Discussion on RCEP". For the presentations, please click on the following links:
- ASEAN Post Summit Analysis 2013 - Rodolfo C. Severino, Head of ASC, ISEAS
- ASEAN+1s to RCEP: A bridge too far - Ganeshan Wignaraja, Director of Research, Asian Development Bank Institute
"Between 2010 to 2020, Asia needs to invest a total of around US$8 trillion in overall national infrastructure and an additional US$287 billion in specific regional infrastructure projects. (ADB/ADBI 2009)."
In the second of a three-part series for ISEAS Perspective, first published on 6 May 2013, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das and ASC Research Assistant Catherine Rose James, review the funding options for national and regional projects in Asia, the gaps in traditional sources of financing and suggests alternatives and recommendations. To read the full article, please click here.
"The Asian Development Bank in its April 2013 Economic Outlook reported that the Asia Pacific, largely driven by the domestic factor, will continue with its strong economic growth of around 6.6 per cent in 2013 (vis-a-vis 6 per cent last year). ASEAN is expected to show a resilient growth of 5.4 per cent, while the two giant economies - China and India - are likely to grow by 8.2 per cent and 6.0 per cent respectively."
In the latest ISEAS Perspective published on 2 May 2013, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das and ASC Research Assistant Pham Thi Phuong Thao, discuss Asia's ability to sustain its growth through improvements in infrastructure. To read the full article, please click here.
"It (RCEP) will have a narrower scope than the Trans-Pacific pact and doesn't cover issues such as intellectual property rights, reform of state-owned enterprises or regulatory standards", said the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow Sanchita Basu Das, in an interview with Eileen Ng of the Associated Press on 25 April 2013. To access the full article, please click here.
"The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint for 2015 must get high priority." The ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow Sanchita Basu Das explains why in her Business Times article first published on the 26th April, 2013. To read the full article, please click here.
The ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow Sanchita Basu Das, spoke to the BBC's Rico Hizon on 24th April, 2013 about the prospects of ASEAN Economic Integration. To view the clip, please click here.
"Since its founding in 1967, ASEAN has been the institutional expression of "soft" regionalism in Southeast Asia, which has become even softer since the inclusion of the CLMV countries. The so-called "rise" of Indonesia in the past decade has given new credence to Indonesia's claim to leadership in ASEAN, which Indonesia identifies as the core or cornerstone of its foreign policy."
Professor Donald E Weatherbee, Visiting Professorial Fellow, ISEAS and Donald S Russell Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina will conduct a seminar on "Indonesia in ASEAN: A Crumbling Cornerstone?" on Wednesday 15 May 2013 at 10:30am, at ISEAS.
Please click on the following links for the:
The ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow Sanchita Basu Das, gave two interviews:
- ASEAN leaders expected to boost regional integration at summit - 22nd April 2013, Xinhua News Agency
- Hopes Dim for Southeast Asia Single Market by 2015 - 23rd April 2013, Asian Wall Street Journal
The 22nd ASEAN Summit and its related events will be held on 24-25th April 2013. The Summit is expected to generate questions on several topics like the situation on the Korean Peninsula, progress under the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Blueprint, ASEAN Connectivity, and the issue of the South China Sea. The ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS will be hosting a seminar on Tuesday 7 May 2013 at 3:30pm. This seminar aims to give an overview of these discussions.
Please click on the following links for the:
Registration Closed
"South-East Asia is set to become smaller and more interconnected thanks to an ambitious economic integration plan set to become reality by the end of 2015. The groundwork has been laid, but what exactly does it all mean? Are we ready for real ASEAN Integration? What's in it for Malaysia?"
Sanchita Basu Das, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow addresses these questions in her article first published in the April 2013 issue of Penang Monthly.
Please click here for the full article.
"Myanmar has not lost the knack of getting everyone's attention. This time, it is over the series of measures oriented towards reform, undertaken by a country that as recent as 12 months ago was known as the "problem child" of ASEAN", writes Moe Thuzar, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Socio-Cultural Affairs and ISEAS Fellow for ISEAS Perspective, first published 18 March 2013.
Please click here for the full article.
"In November 2012, during the 21st ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, the United States and ASEAN agreed on a new framework for economic cooperation. The initiative, named as the US-ASEAN Expanded Economic Engagement (or E3) is said to be creating new business opportunities and jobs in all the eleven countries involved", writes Sanchita Basu Das, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs and ISEAS Fellow for ISEAS Perspective, first published 11 March 2013.
Please click here for the full article.
APEC, under Indonesia's chairmanship, has set three priorities for 2013: attaining the Bogor goals, achieving sustainable growth with equity, and promoting connectivity. The Singapore APEC Study Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies will convene a symposium on 3 April 2013, at ISEAS, Singapore. The objective of the symposium is to share experiences and exchange views for building better connectivity in APEC and ASEAN, and to identify areas of mutual benefit and cooperation.
Please click on the following links for the:
Registration Closed
Former ASEAN Secretary-General, Dr Surin Pitsuwan provides his assessment in a Q&A article first published by IPS Asia-Pacific on 6 March 2013 in their "Reporting Development in ASEAN" section.
For more excerpts from this interview and other ASEAN-related stories, please click here.
Professor Fukunari Kimura, Chief Economist, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and Professor, Faculty of Economics, Keio University will deliver a seminar on 2 April 2013 (14:30-16:30) at ISEAS on the main findings of ERIA's Mid-term Review of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)Blueprint 2011-2012 report which was submitted to the ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting in August 2012.
Mr Rodolfo C Severino, Head, ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS will be a discussant.
Please click on the following links for the:
"...many people view the 2013 and 2014 chairmanships and the future of ASEAN itself with deep pessimism. I am, however, more sanguine than they", writes the ASC Head, Rodolfo Severino on 4 March 2013. To read the full article, please click here.
The 11th Meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) took place in Brunei Darussalam from 29 January to 2 February 2013. The meeting was chaired by the Brunei Representative to AICHR Pehin Dato' Ahmad Jumat. Key issues discussed were AICHR's Priority Programmes and Activities for 2013 and 2014, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD). Please click here for the press release.
"I don't think ASEAN should follow EU", says Sanchita Basu Das, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs in an interview with CNC World on 8 February 2013. To watch the interview, please click here.
Mr Le Luong Minh, Secretary-General of ASEAN mentioned in his inaugural speech that "ASEAN should speed up efforts towards an early start of negotiations with China with a view to achieving an early conclusion of a Code of Conduct on the South China Sea."
In the final part of a three part special, the ASC's Termsak Chalermpalanupap's asks what the ASEAN SG can do given that China is not ready for any formal discussion on the drafting of a COC. To view the full article, please here.
"What can the ASEAN side do when China is not ready for any formal discussion on the drafting of a COC?"
Part Two of the ASC's Termsak Chalermpalanupap's three-part special addresses this question. To view the full article, please here.
At an international conference in Ho Chi Minh City on the South China Sea (18-21 November 2012), organised by Vietnam's Diplomatic Academy and Lawyers' Association, the ASC Head, Rodolfo Severino presented a paper debunking what he called the "myths" about the South China Sea Dispute. Ten of these "myths" were zeroed in on. To read more, please click here.
"How will Brunei Darussalam and the new ASEAN SG from Viet Nam bring any new impetus to realizing an ASEAN-China code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS)?"
The ASC's Termsak Chalermpalanupap addresses this question in the first of a three-part special. To view the full article, please here.
"According to statistics made available by China's Ministry of Commerce, Chinese investments in ASEAN jumped from US$0.12 billion to $5.9 billion between 2003 and 2011, with total accumulation reaching $22.1 billion by the end of 2011", writes Zhao Hong, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore and Guest Writer for ISEAS Perspective, published 31 January 2013. What are the motivations behind this investment and regional concerns and implications?
Please click here for the full article.
"Undiplomatically speaking, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers have direct supervision over the ASEAN SG, and any of the ASEAN Leaders can sack him. This is the political reality and institutional constraint under which every ASEAN SG has to accept and learn to live with."
The ASC's Termsak Chalermpalanupap explains what the Secretary General of ASEAN (ASEAN SG) is expected to do, and suggests what the new ASEAN SG, Mr Le Luong Minh should try to do, in his ISEAS Perspective first published on 28 January 2013. To view the full article, please here.
"This is a landmark ASEAN document that deserves to be taken - and analysed - more seriously than it has been thus far", writes the ASC Head, Rodolfo Severino in his article first published by The Straits Times on 18 January 2013. To read the full article, please click here.
The Lead Economist (Trade and Regional Cooperation) at the Asian Development Bank, Jayant Menon, discusses the "Asian noodle bowl" and the two key proposals to deal with it: "consolidation and harmonisation", in his article for the East Asia Forum, first published on 6 January 2013. To read the full article, please click here.
H.E. Le Luong Minh, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, assumed the post of Secretary-General of the ASEAN on 9 January 2013, in a Ceremony for the Transfer of Office at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. To read the full article from the ASEAN Secretariat News, please click here.
Please click here for the ASEAN 2013 Calendar of Official Meetings, published by the ASEAN Secretariat.
"The 21st ASEAN Summit was held in Phnom Penh, from 17 to 20 November 2012. I have not come across any balanced assessment of the achievements and shortcomings of the Summit", comments Tommy Koh, Guest Writer for ISEAS Perspective, published 20 December 2012.
Please click here for the full article.
"As the deadline of 2015 is nearing, it is apparent that ASEAN will miss many of its goals as stipulated in its three Blueprints of ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC)", the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das and the ASC's Lead Researcher for Political & Security Affairs, Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap assess the progress of ASEAN's commitments to its strategic goals.
Please click here for the full article.
From the Executive Summary of the Recommendations by the ASEAN-U.S. Eminent Persons Group, published on the Center for Strategic & International Studies website
(https://csis.org/publication/recommendations-us-asean-eminent-persons-group) on 13 December 2012:
"The ASEAN-U.S. Eminent Persons Group (EPG) has been tasked by the Leaders of ASEAN and the United States to take stock of ASEAN-U.S. dialogue relations over the past 35 years and explore ways to deepen and widen existing cooperation between ASEAN and the United States, as well as to recommend measures to for elevating the ASEAN-U.S. relationship to a strategic partnership."
Head of the ASC, Rodolfo Severino is a member of the EPG. To read the full list of recommendations submitted to the 4th ASEAN -U.S. Leaders' Meeting on 19th November 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, please click here.
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the High Commission of India in Singapore and the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore co-organised an ASEAN-India Seminar on the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) on 27 November 2012. The Seminar was a marker event for the Flag-Off for the ASEAN-India Car Rally on 28 November 2012, a major highlight in a series events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations. To read the summary of the seminar, please click here.
"Those who wish for a more robust US presence in, and attention to, East Asia, however, have evinced concern about its stability."
Head of the ASC, Rodolfo Severino assesses the US' "re-balancing approach to world affairs" in his article first published by the East Asia Forum on 30 November 2012.
Please click here to read the full article.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Singapore, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore co-organised an ASEAN-ROK Seminar on ASEAN Connectivity on Wednesday 31 October 2012. To read the write-up of the seminar, please click here.
"As the Indian economy continues to grow and ASEAN continues with its economic integration, the opportunities for ASEAN and India for mutually beneficial economic cooperation are likely to multiply", writes Sanchita Basu Das, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs in her article first published in the The Business Times on 27 November 2012. To read the full article, please click here.
The ASC's Moe Thuzar appeared on the BBC's Asia Business Report on on 20 November 2012. To view the interview, please click on the following link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20404900
RCEP on the other hand is "aimed at engaging Asean's external partners in a new broader and deeper economic partnership agreement," said ASC's Termsak Chalermpalanupap in Daniel Ten Kate and Shamim Adam's Bloomberg article first published on 20 November 2012. To view the full article, please click on the following link:
"Enhancing connectivity is crucial to meeting ASEAN's goal of establishing an ASEAN Economic Community by 2015", writes Sanchita Basu Das, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs in her article first published in the Editorial & Opinion section of The Business Times on 15 November 2012. To read the full article, please click here.
The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the High Commission of India in Singapore and the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore will be co-organising an ASEAN-India Seminar on the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) on 27 November 2012. The Seminar will be the marker event of the Flag-Off for the ASEAN-India Car Rally on 28 November 2012, a major highlight in a series events to celebrate the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations.
Please click here for a summary of the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das' article for ISEAS Perspective, first published on 11 October 2012.
"Cambodia will host the 21st ASEAN Summit and related summits in Phnom Penh from 18-20 November 2012."
The ASC's Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap, reviews what to expect in his article first published by ISEAS Perspective on 6 November 2012. To view extracts of the article, please click here.
"Cambodia will fulfil its last major obligation as this year's ASEAN chair November 18-20 when it hosts the annual ASEAN Summit and seventh East Asia Summit (EAS)."
Gregory Poling and Alexandra Sander of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington D.C. discuss the importance of Cambodia's role in the upcoming meetings in their article first published by the CSIS' PacNet Newsletter on 1 November 2012. To view extracts of the article, please click here.
The IAMM and the AUMM both took place on 27 and 28 September 2012 respectively. For a summary of the content of the meetings please click here.
Rodolfo C Severino, head of the ASEAN Studies Centre at ISEAS, participated at a workshop organised by the RSIS Centre for Multilateralism Studies on the theme 'Is Northeast Asian Regionalism the Centre for East Asian Regionalism?' on 6 July 2012. For some of his observations during the workshop, please click here.
"Just about everyone talks about the 'ASEAN Community', but how can media report better on what this means to Southeast Asia's 500 million people?"
IPS Asia-Pacific discusses this question in an article first published on 13 October 2012 on www.aseannews.net
To view the full article, please click here.
"ASEAN Leaders have repeatedly shown their political will to build an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. They adopted the ASEAN Charter and the AEC Blueprint in 2007 and adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) in 2010. However, it is highly unlikely that ASEAN can achieve its target of building an AEC by 2015. On the contrary, it needs to be seen as an on-going process..."
In the latest ISEAS Perspective published on 11 October 2012, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das discusses ASEAN's achievements and challenges in terms of meetings its goals by 2015. To read the full article, please click here.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Singapore, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore will be co-organising an ASEAN-ROK Seminar on ASEAN Connectivity to be held on Wednesday 31 October 2012.
"The European Union (EU) is arguably the primary dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)."
The ASC's Lead Researcher for Socio-Cultural Affairs, Moe Thuzar in her article first published by e-International Relations on 7 October 2012, discusses the lessons that ASEAN can learn from the EU experience.
To read the full article, please click here.
This week (24-28 September 2012), ASEANnews.net is focusing on migrant workers in ASEAN countries. To view the articles featured, please click here.
On 30 August 2012 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) and their counterparts from ASEAN's FTA Partners made an important first step towards establishing a new regional free trade area in the form of a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). To read the full Joint Media Statement, please click here.
"Indonesia is not a claimant to any part, land or water, of Xisha, Nansha, Zhongsha or to any other portion of what is generally known as the South China Sea. However, it is keenly interested in the South China Sea disputes for two reasons."
Head of the ASC, Rodolfo Severino provides the reasons in his article first published by China's Global Times on 20 September 2012.
Please click here to read the full article.
"China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea (SCS) underscores its evolving political system and leadership. China's strategic approach to the SCS disputes has wider geopolitical ramifications", writes Victor R Savage, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography, National University of Singapore in his commentary first published by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies on 13 September 2012.
To read the full article please click here.
"Say 'ASEAN' and Souh-east Asians are likely to know of their main regional organisation. But his good recall does not always mean they understand how ASEAN really works, its kind of regionalism, or how this relates to their governments' policies or their daily lives", writes Johanna Son, Regional Director of IPS Asia-Pacific, in her article of 5 September 2012.
Her comments follow-on from the 'Reporting Development in ASEAN' writers' workshop held on 26-27 June 2012, organised by IPS Asia-PAcific together with the ASEAN Studies Centre, ISEAS.
To read the full article please click here.
"In light of the Sino-Japanese conflict, ASEAN's role and responses have appeared to be constrained by its intimate relations with both powers," writes ISEAS' Associate Fellow and Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies' Associate Professor, Pavin Chachavalpongpun in his article first published by the The Japan Times on 7 September 2012.
To read more, please click here.
ISEAS Monitor is a quarterly socio-political and economic survey of Southeast Asia which examines current events to identify trends and challenges in the region. It is divided into geopolitical and economic overviews of the region as well as country-specific analyses. Please click here to read the latest issue.
The 7th ASEAN-Korea Forum was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 29 to 30 August 2012. Head of the ASC, Rodolfo Severino participated in the forum, chairing a panel on ASEAN-ROK "Developmental Collaboration".
Please click here for the summary.
"The ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM) and related meetings are taking place in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from August 25 to September 1," write Gregory Poling, Research Associate and Phuong Nguyen, Researcher with the Southeast Asia Program at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. In this CSIS' Critical Questions article first published on 29 August 2012, the two authors address questions on the 2012 AEM. To access the full article please use the following URL:
http://csis.org/publication/significance-2012-asean-economic-ministers-meeting
"Burma has in recent years undergone a series of seemingly serious political reforms. While much attention has been overwhelmingly paid to domestic challenges, little has been discussed on how Burma would reposition itself in the changing context of Southeast Asia, particularly as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will establish a community in 2015," writes ISEAS' Associate Fellow and Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies' Associate Professor, Pavin Chachavalpongpun in his article first published by the Democratic Voice of Burma on 29 August 2012.
To read more, please click here.
"In addition to restrictions on the free flow of goods, freedom of workers' movements is another issue holding up the AEC", says the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das in Senior Writer for The Straits Times, William Choong's article first published on 21 August 2012. To read the full article, please click here.
"During the 21st ASEAN Summit in November 2012, Asia is going to see yet another regional arrangement Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RECP), the framework of which was endorsed by Leaders at the 19th ASEAN Summit in 2011."
In the latest ISEAS Perspective published on 17 August 2012, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das discusses the relevance of RECP for ASEAN and the factors critical for its success. To read the full article, please click here.
The ASEAN Studies Centre extends condolences to the family of the late Mr Rodrigo U Fuentes, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB). Mr Fuentes participated in the ASC's February 2010 conference in Singapore on "Regional Environmental Cooperation in EU and ASEAN: Lessons from Two Regions".
For the ASEAN Foundation memorial notice released on 15 August 2012, please click here.
"The failure to deal with the South China Sea conflict demonstrates Asean's inherent weakness. Such failure has brought the Sino-Asean relationship under the spotlight. It is timely, on Asean's 45th birthday, to critically evaluate this complex relationship," writes ISEAS Associate Fellow and Kyoto University's Centre for Southeast Asian Studies' Associate Professor, Pavin Chachavalpongpun in his article first published by Singapore's The Straits Times on 10 August 2012.
To read more, please click here.
"Halfway through its fifth decade there, there is much for ASEAN to reflect upon, including the different changes each decade has brought as well as the possibilities the future holds for the Association and its member states. There are two important points for ASEAN to ponder as it celebrates its 45th anniversary", writes the ASC's Lead Researcher for Socio-Cultural Affairs, Moe Thuzar.
To read more, please click here.
On the occasion of ASEAN's birthday, the ASC's Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs, Sanchita Basu Das and the ASC's Lead Researcher for Political & Security Affairs, Dr Termsak Chalermpalanupap appeared on CNA's 'Think Tank' segment on 8 August 2012.
Please click here for the recording of the broadcast.
If you missed the ASC's Lead Researcher for Socio-Cultural Affairs, Moe Thuzar's appearance on CNA's Perspectives programme broadcast on Sunday 29 July 2012's entitled "The Future of ASEAN", please click on the following link:
http://www2.channelnewsasia.com/perspectives/video/perspectives-july-29th-asean/?pageid=11
"As China and four ASEAN member states assert overlapping claims, can ASEAN effectively resolve this issue? More fundamentally, can the group of 10 smaller and medium sized states maintain their unity? And, if ASEAN is ineffective and divided, will this critically impact the group's credibility as the convenor for wider regional dialogues, such as the East Asian Summit, which includes China, the United States and regional powers?"
Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) and Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law Simon Tay poses these questions in his article first published by Singapore's Today newspaper on 2 August 2012.
To read the full article, please click here.
"The knowledge that many of us in Southeast Asia possess on ASEAN is largely based on myths proffered by non-Southeast Asians. Even media in Southeast Asia come to depend on them."
ASC Head Rod Severino clarified three "myths" about ASEAN at the "Reporting Development in ASEAN" writers' workshop on 26-27 June 2012, jointly organised by IPS Asia-Pacific, ISEAS and the ASC, with the support of IDRC Canada.
To read more, please click here.
In ASC Head Rod Severino's article for ISEAS Perspective, he writes:
"In thinking about or discussing or deciding upon a proposed Code of Conduct for the South China Sea , some facts ought to be taken into consideration and certain issues have to be resolved - or fudged over - or, in any case, addressed."
To read the full article published 27 July 2012, please click here.
ISEAS' Associate Fellow and Kyoto University's Associate Professor at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies Pavin Chachavalpongpun writes that this "latest positive development in the Thai-Cambodian conflict could be a sign that the ASEAN spirit - many wondered whether it had vanished in Phom Penh - should not be too hastily discounted", in his article for Singapore's Today newspaper, published on 27 July 2012. To read the full article, please click here.
ASC's Lead Researcher for Socio-Cultural Affairs, Moe Thuzar is a panellist on this Sunday 29 July 2012's show entitled "The Future of ASEAN". To find out Moe's 'perspective' and those her fellow panellists' in advance of the show, please click on the following link:
http://www2.channelnewsasia.com/perspectives/this-month/panelists/
Don't forget to tune in to CNA at 8pm on Sunday!
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers issued a statement to "reiterate and reaffirm the commitment of ASEAN Member States" regarding the South China Sea. To view the statement, please click here.
"Never in 45 years of regular meetings faithfully followed by bland communiques have the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) failed to agree on a statement for public consumption summarising their private deliberations. Not, that is, until now", writes Don Emmerson, head of the Southeast Asia Forum at Stanford University in his article from PacNet#45 published on Thursday 19 July 2012.
Read on for more excerpts from the article.
ASC Head Rodolfo C Severino comments on ASEAN's failure to issue a joint communique for the first time in 45 years in an interview with Singapore's 938 Live reporter Mok Fei Fei on 16 July 2012.
To access the podcast, please click here.
Will ASEAN meet its integration goals by 2015?
ASC's Sanchita Basu Das provides a summary of the discussions at the ASEAN Roundtable 2012, held in Singapore on 25 May 2012. To find out the conclusions drawn from the event, please click here.
In an AFP interview posted on the Business Recorder website on 13 July 2012, ISEAS Associate Fellow Pavin Chachavalpongpun gave his view on the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and the South China Sea. To access the full article, please click here.
"ASEAN Foreign Ministers failed Thursday to reach a consensus on acceptable language to refer to the South China Sea issue involving China, forcing the grouping of Southeast Asian nations to scrap issuance of a joint communique for the first time in its 45-year history, ASEAN officials said," reported Puy Kea of the Kyodo News, 13 July 2012. To access the full article, please click here.
The ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) 10+1 Session with 10 ASEAN's Dialogue Partners, namely Australia, Canada, China, the European Union (EU), India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America were held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 11 July 2012.
"This year's ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) will be held July 12-13 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, amidst a week of regional summitry. The ARF is the Asia'Pacific's premier ministerial meeting to discuss political and security priorities. The 19th ARF hosted by ASEAN chair Cambodia, will likely witness discussions and developments related to hot-button issues in the region ranging from tensions in the South China Sea to concerns about nuclear proliferation," write Ernest Z Bower and Prashanth Parameswaran of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in their article of 9 July 2012.
"The 13th Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN and the People's Republic of China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea was held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on 10 July 2012. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. HOR Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia."
To access the Chairman's Statement, please click here.
"...the integration of Southeast Asia has taken on a life of its own. It more closely resembles the European Economic Community, an early predecessor to the European Union, than it does the current European bloc,"
writes New York Times journalist, Thomas Fuller in his article first published by the NYT on 5 July 2012, entitled "Wary Neighbours Turn Into Partners in a Quickly Developing Southeast Asia". To access the full article, please click here.
The following excerpts have been taken from the transcript of The Honourable Kurt Campbell's Keynote Address at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies' Southeast Asia Program's second annual conference on Maritime Security in the South China Sea, June 27-28, 2012, entitled "The South China Sea and Asia Pacific in Transition".
These four meetings are taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 6 - 13 July 2012.
The following is a summary of two separate presentations delivered by the ASEAN Studies Centre Head, Rodolfo C Severino at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore on 18 June 2012 and the Global Youth Convention on 20 June 2012.
Southeast Asia is urbanising rapidly, with almost 250 million (more than 40% of the region's total population) living in urban areas. In this half-day seminar, city practitioners from around the region will share experiences on and review good practices in urban development.
ASEAN Senior Officials visited MGIMO-University in Russia on Saturday 9 June 2012, as part of the 9th Russia-ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting.
The following is an excerpt from the Joint Declaration on the Enhancement of Trilateral Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership issued by the leaders of The People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea at the Fifth Trilateral Summit Meeting held on 13 May 2012, in Beijing, China:
"The foundations of an EU strategy for the region were laid in 2007 when the Council published the East Asia policy guidelines. A revision of the document has been on the EU agenda for some time but a final agreement on the outcome has yet to be reached, which leaves the club of 27 with policy prescriptions that are often outdated", write Patryk Pawlak and Eleni Ekmektsioglou of the EU Institute for Security Studies, in their article first published by PacNet #36, Pacific Forum, Center for Strategic & International Studies on 8 June 2012.
ISEAS Associate Fellow, Pavin Chachavalpongpun "argues that ASEAN's policy toward Myanmar has been predominantly responsive, dictated by China's activism in the region," in his article first published by the Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 31, 1, 97-114, GIGA German Insitute of Global and Area Studies, Institute of Asian Studies and Hamburg University Press, 5 April 2012.
"The (AEC) Scorecard outlines specific actions that must be undertaken by ASEAN collectively and by its member states individually to establish an AEC by 2015. But how effective is this scorecard? Does it provide incentives for improvement?", asks Sanchita Basu Das in her article first published by the East Asia Forum on 1 June 2012.
The ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), along with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) hosted the ASEAN Roundtable 2012 on Friday 25 May 2012 at the York Hotel, Singapore. The theme of the 2012 Roundtable "Examining the ASEAN Economic Community Scorecard" provided:
- an evaluation of the current status of and progress towards the AEC milestones, and
- an assessment of the policy reforms necessary to meet the end-goals.
"The credibiilty of the United States in the Asia Pacific is at stake on a decision whether to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," write Ernest Bower, Senior Adviser & Director, and Gregory Poling, Research Assistant, Souteast Asia Program, Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in their article first published on 25 May 2012 by CSIS.
In his interview with Dr Pun-Arj Chairatana, Managing Director, Noviscape Consulting Group, ISEAS Associate Fellow, Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun gives his insights on the future of ASEAN. The content of this interview was posted on Trendnovation Southeast on 18 May 2012.
ASC's Head, Rod Severino and Lead Researcher (Socio-Cultural), Moe Thuzar visited Naypyitaw, Myanmar on 15-16 May 2012, to meet with Myanmar officials on preparations for Myanmar's 2014 ASEAN chairmanship. Myanmar started taking steps for chairmanship preparations in November 2011, after the 19th ASEAN Summit. A central coordinating committee chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leading the development of a master plan, including capacity needs of staff involved in the Summit. Myanmar thanked the ASC for the timely information and suggestions shared at the consultations, which will aid in finalising the priority plans.
"The ASEAN+3 has taken a significant number of steps recently to further deepen monetary integration. The next steps should be to introduce a regional weighted currency basket and expand membership", writes Dr Pradumna B Rana, Associate Professor at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, in his article first published by RSIS on 15 May 2012.
"ASEAN must manage its inherent differences quietly and develop the code of conduct to correspond with international legal norms", writes Sanchita Dasu Bas in her article published in the East Asia Forum on 13 May 2012.
On 3 May 2012, the EU-Asia Centre in Belgium hosted a panel discussion on "Prospects for EU-ASEAN Relations". ASC Head Rod Severino's intervention was cited by Fraser Cameron, Board Member of the EU-Asia Centre in his opening remarks.
