ASEAN – looking back on 43 years of development
Vietnam and fellow members of ASEAN have organised a variety of activities to celebrate the association’s establishment.
On August 7, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, and ASEAN General Secretary Surin Pitsuwant attended a grand ceremony at the Hanoi Opera House.
On August 8, the celebration continued in Hanoi with a walk “for ASEAN community peaceful and prosperous” around Hoan Kiem Lake, followed by an ASEAN Cuisine Day event featuring international foods.
The development of the bloc
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in Thailand on August 8, 1967 with five founding members to promote political, security, economic, cultural, and social cooperation between its members and advance global integration.
ASEAN now has 10 members with 592 million people, an area of 4.43 million sq.km, and a combined GDP of US$1,492 billion.
Cooperation within ASEAN has steadily developed and expanded into politics, economics, investment, culture, education, health care, the environment, science, and technology.
The bloc has established international diplomatic relationships through ASEAN + 1 (ASEAN with respective partner), ASEAN + 3 (ASEAN with China, Japan, and Republic of Korea), the East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
ASEAN is now a well-linked political association, which plays an important role in maintaining regional peace, stability, and cooperation and is an indispensable partner for huge international organisations. On that basis, ASEAN countries have agreed to boost their cooperation and strengthen their links to establish a powerful ASEAN community based on three pillars: politics and security, economy, and society and culture.
Vietnam, an active member
Since joining ASEAN at the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on July 28, 1995, Vietnam has integrated and participated in all ASEAN cooperation fields and has actively contributed to strengthening solidarity among ASEAN nations, promoting cooperation with international partners, and developing the bloc.
Vietnam also played an important role in bringing Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia into ASEAN.
In 1998, Vietnam hosted the sixth ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, which went off well, despite an ongoing regional economic crisis, and with the Hanoi Plan of Action, opened a new era for the bloc’s development.
From July, 2000, to July, 2001, Vietnam fulfilled its role as president of the ASEAN Security Community (ASC) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Co-operation has been promoted through the Hanoi Plan of Action, the Hanoi Declaration on narrowing development gap, and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) to support new members for regional integration.
Vietnam has successfully organised a series of important events in the field of economic co-operation, has taken part in hundreds of co-operative projects, and has initiated or presided over many of these projects. The country was instrumental in drafting and signing the ASEAN Charter. It was one of the first five countries to approve the charter and one of the first to implement a roadmap to build the ASEAN Community.
In addition to strengthening co-operation within the bloc, Vietnam has boosted co-operation with the bloc’s partners. As a coordinator of the dialogue between ASEAN and important partners such as Japan, Russia, the US, Australia, Canada and China, Vietnam has contributed to enhancing ASEAN’s relationship with these countries. Vietnam has also contributed to maintaining ASEAN’s role in regional forums, such as ASEAN + 1, ASEAN + 3, and the East Asia Summit (EAS).
Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship year
Vietnam is serving as ASEAN chair from January 1 to December 31, 2010. During its ASEAN chairmanship year, it has responsibility for organising the 16th and 17th ASEAN Summits, the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings, and many other important events. As president, Vietnam has to initiate co-operative policies and host co-operative forums, including ASEAN + 3, the East Asia Summit, and the ASEAN regional forum (ARF).
Vietnam will represent ASEAN at other regional and international forums. In addition, Vietnam will host such important events as the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and the ASEAN Defence, Finance, and Labour Ministerial Meetings.
Vietnam is serving as ASEAN president at a critical time when ASEAN is embarking on a new development period towards building an ASEAN Community by 2015. In the first half of its term, Vietnam successfully hosted the 16th ASEAN Summit, the 43rd ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting, and related meetings. In the second half, Vietnam will do its utmost to achieve targets of the ASEAN Community and to increase its role and prestige in the international arena, presenting an image of a dynamic country committed to independence, self-reliance, peace, co-operation and growth.