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Time for ASEAN to have an easy-to-implement geostrategy
An urgent geostrategic priority for ASEAN is deepening economic integration to close gaps in inequalities within and among members and ensure ASEAN moves forward together.
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Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone (center) and ASEAN leaders take part in the 44th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane on Oct. 9, 2024. (AFP/Nhac Nguyen)
I
was honored to participate in the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits, which sought to enhance regional connectivity and resilience, as proposed by Laos, the 2024 chair of the regional grouping.
I also attended the 24th ASEAN Economic Community Council Ministerial Meeting and noted over 100 ongoing annual priorities with more than 40 assessments. Even on the second day of the summits, leaders attended meetings for up to 11 hours.
With the increasing complexity of interests and substantive issues within ASEAN and the growing number of interlocutors, ASEAN will be stronger with a simplified mechanism and a clear geostrategy.
Leaders, including Vice President Ma’ruf Amin as head of the Indonesian delegation, gathered in Vientiane as they recognized ASEAN as a priority mechanism and an emerging global powerhouse.
With a population of 650 million, ASEAN is a top-five economy globally. The region recorded the fastest digital economy transformation during the pandemic, it benefits from rich natural resources, and is home to a young, productive population. The building blocks are in place to grow even faster, and projections indicate ASEAN could achieve a GDP of US$4.5 trillion by 2030, cementing the region as a strategic global player.
ASEAN, a dynamic and resilient force within and beyond its members, is continually evolving to address new priorities. The ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) is a prime example of this adaptability.
In the face of increasing geostrategic competition, members agreed on a road map for consensus-based solutions that ensure the region's centrality in its political, economic and social agenda. As a central region in the Indo-Pacific, ASEAN must be integrated inwardly and outwardly and adaptable to the changing dynamics of the world, both favorable and unfavorable.
