The signing of the charter by all ASEAN leaders is considered a historic event of the bloc given the fact that all 10 member states have different development levels, cultures, languages and religions. It is worth noting that over the past 40 years, ASEAN has proved to be an integrated economy and a dynamic force to ensure peace and stability in the region.

The most important factor in helping ASEAN overcome differences and develop as it does today is based on the principle of consensus and unity in diversity. Thanks to this principle, all 10 ASEAN leaders agreed to pen the charter despite different views on a number of issues, including the Myanmar issue. Referring to the European Union, an organisation in which almost all member states have a common voice in all fields, the signing of the ASEAN Charter showed the great effort of its member states in paying special attention to their circumstances to reach consensus and unity in diversity for the sake of the development of each nation and the whole region. This is one of the fundamental principles and common conducts of ASEAN which Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung put forth while discussing the charter.

Former Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, who is a member of the charter drafting think tank said the charter would open up a new chapter and create a legal and institutional framework for ASEAN to accelerate regional integration towards the building of an ASEAN Community. With the charter, he said ASEAN now has full legally-binding status to promote international cooperation and effectively deal with issues that arise during the development process.

At the 13^th ASEAN summit and related summits, the leaders of all participating countries reaffirmed that Vietnam’s initiative to narrow the development gap between member states to successfully build the ASEAN Community by 2015 remains an important task of the organization. Therefore, they supported Vietnam’s view that programmes to narrow the development gap such as the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) should be closely attached to broader future objectives of the association. Dialogue partners also voiced support for ASEAN in building a united community through practical and specific programmes. In this spirit, the Republic of Korea pledged to provide US$5 million for the IAI, while Japan agreed to earmark US$300 million and train 300 experts for ASEAN in such fields as maritime transport safety, sustainable exploitation of maritime transport routes and environmental protection. 

The building of the ASEAN community by 2015 is based on the three pillars: politics-security, economics, and socio-cultural affairs. With their strong political determination, ASEAN leaders believed that the Political-Security Community and then the Socio-Cultural Community will be built successfully in the region. However, the building of the Economic Community remains the biggest challenge for the bloc, as there are disparities in economic development amongst member states. It could be difficult for Laos and Myanmar to keep up with present-day Singapore’s economic development in the next eight years. But the most important thing here lies in the consensus of political will, mutual respect and assistance for the common development of the bloc. In this spirit, ASEAN leaders signed the Declaration on the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, affirming their determination to build this community on schedule. They also decided to establish a fund for underdeveloped nations, and Singapore contributed US$500,000 to the ASEAN Development Fund.

ASEAN is making every effort to build a comprehensive integrated community, a strong and reputable organization with an increasing role in the international arena. In this process, it is receiving strong support from its member states and international organizations. It is certain that each member state should not wait and rely on outside assistance but make full use of their internal strength for the sake of the development of each nation and the bloc as a whole.