ASEAN sets road map for greater integration, highlights centrality
KUALA LUMPUR (PNA/Kyodo) – Southeast Asian countries have charted the course for greater integration over the next 10 years with aims to be the primary force in shaping regional architecture and be more connected economically and socially, according to a draft document set to be adopted by the region's leaders at a summit next month.
Leaders from the 10-member countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are expected to gather in Kuala Lumpur for their second summit this year in November after the first one in April.
Malaysia plays host at a crucial juncture in ASEAN developments as this year marks the deadline for the formal establishment of the ASEAN Community which entails closer integration through three pillars – political security, economy and socio-culture.
But as leaders toast to the symbolic establishment of ASEAN Community 2015 in November, they have already laid out a framework for "ASEAN Community Vision 2025" that the leaders will adopt in a document titled "Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together," seen by Kyodo News.
In the broadly worded statement, the leaders said they recognize that the "rapidly changing geostrategic landscape continues to present both opportunities and challenges which require ASEAN to respond proactively in order to remain relevant as well as to maintain ASEAN centrality and role as the primary driving force in the evolving regional architecture."
They spoke of peaceful resolution to disputes and to "enhance maritime security and maritime cooperation for peace and stability in the region and beyond, through ASEAN and ASEANled mechanism and adopt internationally accepted maritime conventions and principles."
ASEAN centrality has often been put to test as recent challenges like the territorial disputes in the South China Sea have cast doubts on the grouping's ability to offer a united stand on the issue when it involved two superpowers like China and the United States.