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ASEAN, The Association of South East Asian Nations was formed on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, only to be joined by Brunei Darussalam in
1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos & Myanmar in 1997 and Cambodia in 1999.
Founding Years
ASEAN was prefigured by an organisation called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), a group
consisting of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand that was formed in 1961. ASEAN itself was
inaugurated on 8 August 1967, when foreign ministersof five countries; Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, signed the ASEAN Declaration, more commonly known as
the Bangkok Declaration.
The creation of ASEAN was motivated by a common fear of communism, and a thirst for economic
development.
ASEAN grew when Brunei Darussalam became its sixth member on 7 January 1984, barely a week
after gaining independence.
Expansion of ASEAN
ASEAN achieved greater cohesion in the mid-1970s following the changed balance of power in
Southeast Asia after the end of the Vietnam War. The regions dynamic economic growth during the
1970s strengthened the organisation, enabling ASEAN to adopt a unified response to Vietnams
invasion of Cambodia in 1979. ASEAN's first summit meeting, held in Bali, Indonesia, in 1976,
resulted in an agreement on several industrial projects and the signing of a Treaty of Amity and
Cooperation, and a Declaration of Concord. The end of the Cold War between the United States and
the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s allowed ASEAN countries to exercise greater political
independence in the region, and in the 1990s ASEAN emerged as a leading voice on regional trade and
security issues.
On 28 July 1995, Vietnam became ASEAN's seventh member.Laos and Myanmar (Burma) joined two
years later on 23 July 1997.Cambodia was to have joined together with Laos and Burma, but entry was
delayed due to the country's internal political struggle. The country later joined on 30 April 1999,
following the stabilisation of its government.
In 1990, Malaysia proposed the creation of an East Asia Economic Caucus composed of the members
of ASEAN as well as the People's Republic of China, Japan, and South Korea, with the intention of
counterbalancing the growing influence of the United States in Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (APEC), and in the Asian region as a whole.The proposal failed, however, because of
heavy opposition from the US and Japan. Member states continued to work for further integration
and ASEAN Plus Three was created in 1997.
In 1992, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT) scheme was adopted as a schedule for
phasing out tariffs, and as a goal to increase the "region's competitive advantage as a production base
geared for the world market". This law would act as the framework for the ASEAN Free Trade

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Area (AFTA). AFTA is an agreement by member nations concerning local manufacturing in ASEAN
countries. The AFTA agreement was signed on 28 January 1992 in Singapore.
After the East Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, a revival of the Malaysian proposal was put forward
in Chiang Mai, known as the Chiang Mai Initiative, which called for better integration of the
economies of ASEAN as well as the ASEAN Plus Three countries, China, Japan, and South Korea.
The bloc also focused on peace and stability in the region. On 15 December 1995, the Southeast Asian
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty was signed with the intention of turning Southeast Asia into
a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone. The treaty took effect on 28 March 1997 after all but one of the member
states had ratified it. It became fully effective on 21 June 2001, after the Philippines ratified,
effectively banning all nuclear weapons in the region.

ASEAN Charter
On 15 December 2008, the members of ASEAN met in the Indonesian capital ofJakarta to launch a
charter, signed in November 2007, with the aim of moving closer to "an EU-style community".The
charter turns ASEAN into a legal entity and aims to create a single free-trade area for the region
encompassing 500 million people.President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stated that
"This is a momentous development when ASEAN is consolidating, integrating and transforming itself
into a community. It is achieved while ASEAN seeks a more vigorous role in Asian and global affairs at
a time when the international system is experiencing a seismic shift", he added, referring to climate
change and economic upheaval, and concluded "Southeast Asia is no longer the bitterly divided, wartorn region it was in the 1960s and 1970s".
The 2008 global financial crisis was seen as being a threat to the goals envisioned by the charter,and
also set forth the idea of a proposed human rights body to be discussed at a future summit in February
2009. This proposition caused controversy, as the body would not have the power to impose sanctions
or punish countries who violated citizens' rights and would therefore be limited in effectiveness.[The
body was established later in 2009 as the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human
Rights (AICHR). In November 2012, the commission adopted theASEAN Human Rights Declaration.

ASEAN was formed to speed up the growth of the economy, social progress & development of culture
through helping each other out in equality and partnership while promoting peace & stability
throughout the region, having respect for justice and the rule of the law amongst the countries in the

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South East Asian region, to strengthen the foundation for community of Southeast Asian nations
which is prosperous and peaceful.
The activities carried out by ASEAN are planned by the different member countries. As the
environmental pollution is an issue, member countries plan activities that deal with environmental
issues, have conferences, hold camps and hold a Green Week in conjunction with World Environment
Day, to name a few. The representatives from the member countries hold meetings throughout the
year in the various countries around the globe. However, most of these meetings are held in Asia. They
also take part in courses and workshops on transport, terrorism and such. These meetings are usually
based on the Transnational Issues that ASEAN is concerned about. These Transnational Issues are the
Environment, Transboundary Haze, Transnational Crime & Terrorism, Legal Cooperation,
Immigration, Drugs and Civil Services.
ASEAN PLUS Three
The leaders of each country felt the need to further integrate the region. Beginning in 1997, the bloc
began creating organisations with the intention of achieving this goal. Asean Plus Three was the first
of these and was created to improve existing ties with the People's Republic of China, Japan,
and South Korea. This was followed by the even larger East Asia Summit (EAS), which included
ASEAN Plus Three countries as well as India, Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Russia. This
new grouping acted as a prerequisite for the plannedEast Asia Community, which was supposedly
patterned after the now-defunct European Community. The ASEAN Eminent Persons Groupwas
created to study the possible successes and failures of this policy as well as the possibility of drafting
an ASEAN Charter.
In 2006, ASEAN was given observer status at the United Nations General Assembly. In response, the
organisation awarded the status of "dialogue partner" to the UN.

ASEAN keeps close relations with other countries by having each member country to coordinate with
the other different countries that do not belong in ASEAN. These other countries are Australia, China,
European Union (EU), Canada, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United
States of America. This coordination is held in 3 year cycles, rotating between the member countries

to act as coordinators.
By 2015, ten countries in Southeast Asia plan to launch a single market for goods, services, capital and
labor, which has the potential to be one of the largest economies and markets in the world.
Here are 12 things to know about the ASEAN Economic Community.

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1.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is intensifying efforts to realize by 2015
the ASEAN Economic Community and implement the initiatives to achieve a single market
and production base, allowing the free flow of goods, services, investments, and skilled labor,
and the freer movement of capital across the region.
Source: Nay Pyi Taw Declaration, 24th ASEAN Summit, 11 May 2014.

2. If ASEAN were one economy, it would be seventh largest in the world with a combined gross
domestic product (GDP) of $2.4 trillion in 2013. It could be fourth largest by 2050 if growth
trends continue.
Source: ASEAN Integration and the Private Sector, speech by ADB Vice-President Stephen
Groff, 23 June 2014 in Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
3. With over 600 million people, ASEAN's potential market is larger than the European Union
or North America. Next to the People's Republic of China and India, ASEAN has the world's
third largest labor force that remains relatively young.
Source: ASEAN Integration and the Private Sector, speech by ADB Vice-President Stephen
Groff, 23 June 2014 in Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
4. ASEAN is one of the most open economic regions in the world, with total merchandise exports
of over $1.2 trillion - nearly 54% of total ASEAN GDP and 7% of global exports.
Source: ADB publication ASEAN 2030: Toward a Borderless Economic Community
5.

Created in 1967 mainly for political and security reasons, ASEAN is today a successful model
for regionalism, widely recognized globally.
Source: ADB publication ASEAN 2030: Toward a Borderless Economic Community

6. On its 40th anniversary in 2007, ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Economic Community
Blueprint, which advanced the completion target to 2015 from 2020.
Source: Declaration on the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, Singapore, 20 November
2007.
7.

The ASEAN Economic Community is defined by four pillars: (i) creating a single market and
production base, (ii) increasing competitiveness, (iii) promoting equitable economic
development, and (iv) further integrating ASEAN with the global economy.
Source: Declaration on the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint, Singapore, 20 November
2007.

8. In November 2007, ASEAN leaders also approved the Initiative for ASEAN Integration
Strategic Framework and Work Plan (2009-15), which is meant to bridge the perceived
"development divide" between the older and economically more advanced members - Brunei,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, known as the ASEAN-6, and the
four newer ones - Cambodia (1999), Lao People's Democratic Republic (1997), Myanmar
(1997), and Viet Nam (1995).
Source: ADB publication The ASEAN Economic Community: A Work in Progress
9. As of October 2013, 279 measures (79.7%) of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint
have been implemented.
Source: Chairman's Statement of the 23rd ASEAN Summit, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Darussalam, 9 October 2013.
10. Under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, the Common Effective Preferential Tariff scheme
has brought down tariff rates on goods coming from ASEAN members to virtually zero for
ASEAN-6. The four new ASEAN members have until 2015 to reduce their tariff.
Source: ADB publication The ASEAN Economic Community: A Work in Progress

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11. While progress has been made in lowering tariffs and some behind-the-border economic
hurdles, non-tariff barriers remain as major impediments to achieving a single market by
2015. The liberalization of trade in services has also been slow despite the industry's growing
importance in the region.
Source: ADB publication The ASEAN Economic Community: A Work in Progress
12. An ADB Institute study finds that that the ASEAN Economic Community should be
considered a stepping stone to deeper integration. With the appropriate policy mix, ASEAN
could triple per capita income by 2030, raising its citizens' quality of life to levels enjoyed
today by members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Source: ADB publication ASEAN 2030: Toward a Borderless Economic Community
ASEAN- INDIA Relations
ASEAN- India Relations

The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) comprises of Indonesia, Singapore,

Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam. Indias focus on
a strengthened and multi-faceted relationship with ASEAN is an outcome of the significant changes in
the worlds political and economic scenario since the early 1990s and Indias own march towards
economic liberalisation. Indias search for economic space resulted in the Look East Policy. The Look
East Policy has today matured into a dynamic and action oriented Act East Policy. PM at the 12th
ASEAN India Summit and the 9th East Asia Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in November,
2014, formally enunciated the Act East Policy.
Apart from ASEAN, India has taken other policy initiatives in the region that involve some members
of ASEAN like BIMSTEC, MGC etc. India is also an active participant in several regional forums like
the Asia-Europe Meeting, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Regional Forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers'
Meeting + (ADMM+) and Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
There has been steady progress in the ASEAN - India partnership since the Look East Policy was
launched in 1991. India became sectoral dialogue partners in 1992 and full dialogue partners in 1996.
Since 2002, India has annual Summits with ASEAN along with China, Japan and Republic of Korea.
There are 30 Dialogue Mechanisms cutting across all the sectors including 7 ministerial level

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meetings. [caption id="attachment_26739" align="alignright" width="500"]

ASEAN-INDIA Summit, 2015

Commemorative Summit: In 2012, ASEAN and India commemorated 20 years of dialogue
partnership and 10 years of Summit level partnership with ASEAN with a Commemorative Summit in
New Delhi under the theme 'ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity' on December
20-21, 2012. The Commemorative Summit attended by the Leaders from all the 10 ASEAN countries
endorsed elevating the partnership to a 'Strategic Partnership'. The Leaders also adopted the 'ASEANIndia Vision Statement', which charts the future of ASEAN-India cooperation. Two major events that
were organized in 2012 in the run-up to the Commemorative Summit include the 2nd ASEAN-India
Car Rally and Shipping Expedition of INS Sudarshini to ASEAN countries. During the Summit, the
heads of the Government recommended establishment of ASEAN-India Centre (AIC) to undertake
policy research, advocacy and networking activities with organizations and think-tanks in India and
ASEAN, with the aim to promote the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership. The AIC has been serving as
a resource centre for ASEAN Member States and India since its establishment in 2013, for
strengthening ASEAN-India strategic partnership and promoting India-ASEAN dialogue and
cooperation in the areas of mutual interests. AIC has provided some very valuable inputs to policy
makers in India and ASEAN on implementation of ASEAN-India connectivity by organising seminars,
roundtables etc. AIC also organizes workshops, seminars and conferences on various cross-cutting
issues relevant to ASEAN-India strategic partnership. It undertakes regular networking activities with
relevant public/private agencies, organizations and think-tanks in India and ASEAN and EAS
countries, with the aim of providing up-to-date information, data resources and sustained interaction,
for promoting ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership
Plans of Action: As a reflection of the interest of ASEAN and India to intensify their engagement,
the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity, which sets out the roadmap
for long-term ASEAN-India engagement, was signed at the 3rd ASEAN-India Summit in 2004 in
Vientiane. A Plan of Action (POA 2004-2010) was also developed to implement the Partnership. Most
of the paras of the 2nd POA (2010-15) have been implemented. The new POA (2016-20) has also been
endorsed by the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting held in August 2015 and will be adopted at
the 13th ASEAN-India Summit in November 2015.

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Security cooperation: The main forum for ASEAN security dialogue is the ASEAN Regional Forum
(ARF). India has been attending annual meetings of this forum since 1996 and has actively
participated in its various activities. The ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting(ADMM) is the highest
defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. The ADMM+ brings together Defence
Ministers from the 10 ASEAN nations plus Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of
Korea, Russia, and the United States. The 3rd ADMM Plus is scheduled to be held from 4-5 November
2015 in Kuala Lumpur. Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum (EAMF) is an avenue for track 1.5
diplomacy focusing on cross cutting maritime issues of common concern. India participated in the 4th
EAMF held in Manado, Indonesia on 10-11 September 2015.
Trade and Investment: India-ASEAN trade and investment relations have been growing steadily,
with ASEAN being India's fourth largest trading partner. The annual trade registered an average
growth of 22% per annum in the decade upto 2011-12, but has stagnated thereafter. It stood at
approximately US$ 76.52 billion in 2014-15.
Investment flows are also substantial both ways, with ASEAN accounting for approximately 12.5% of
investment flows into India since 2000. FDI inflows into India from ASEAN between April 2007March 2015 was about US$ 32.44 billion. Whereas FDI outflows from India to ASEAN countries, from
April 2007 to March 2015, as per data maintained by DEA, was about US$ 38.672 billion.
The ASEAN-India Agreements for Trade in Services & Investments were signed in 2014 and are
expected to enter into force later this year. With the signing of these Agreements, the ASEAN-India
FTA is now complete.
ASEAN and India have been also working on enhancing private sector engagement. ASEAN IndiaBusiness Council (AIBC) was set up in March 2003 in Kuala Lumpur as a forum to bring key private
sector players from India and the ASEAN countries on a single platform for business networking and
sharing of ideas.
Connectivity: ASEAN-India connectivity is a matter of strategic priority for India as also the ASEAN
countries. In 2013, India became the third dialogue partner of ASEAN to initiate an ASEAN
Connectivity Coordinating Committee-India Meeting. While India has made considerable progress in
implementing the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multimodal Project,
issues related to increasing the maritime and air connectivity between ASEAN and India and
transforming the corridors of connectivity into economic corridors are under discussion. A possible
extension to India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway to Cambodia, Lao PDR and Viet Nam is
also under consideration. A consensus on signing and operationalizing the India-Myanmar-Thailand
Motor Vehicle Agreement (IMT MVA) has been reached. This agreement will have a critical role in
realizing seamless movement of passenger, personal and cargo vehicles along roads linking India,
Myanmar and Thailand. PM announced setting up of a Special Facility for infrastructure and project
financing for the connectivity projects at the 12th ASEAN India Summit in 2014. Ministry of
Commerce and Industry has also set up a special purpose vehicle to catalyse private investment in
CLMV countries.
Funds: ASEAN Multilateral Division offers project-based financial assistance to ASEAN countries.
Financial assistance has been provided to ASEAN countries in following forms:

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ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund: At the 7th ASEAN-India Summit in 2009, India announced
a contribution of USD 50 million to the ASEAN-India Cooperation Fund, to support
implementation of the ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2010-15. Till now 13 projects have been
implemented, 17 projects are under implementation and 22 projects are in the planning stage.
Projects and programmes worth USD 35.68 million are under implementation, including the
largest project under the ASEAN-India Cooperation i.e. Space Project.

ASEAN-India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF): At the 6th ASEAN-India Summit in

November 2007 in Singapore, PM announced the setting up of an ASEAN-India Science &
Technology Development Fund with a US$ 1 million contribution from India to promote joint
collaborative R&D research projects in Science & Technology sectors. An amount of US$
373,352 has already been spent out of this Fund on various projects & activities.

ASEAN-India Green Fund: At the 6th ASEAN-India Summit on 21 November 2007 in

Singapore, PM announced the setting up of an ASEAN-India Green Fund with an initial
contribution of US$ 5 million from India to support collaboration activities relating to
environment and climate change. Till July 2015, Projects worth USD 2,079,287 covered under
this Fund are at the implementation stage.

ASEAN-India Projects: India has been cooperating with ASEAN by way of implementation of
various projects in the fields of Agriculture, Science & Technology, Space, Environment & Climate
Change, Human Resource Development, Capacity Building, New and Renewable Energy, Tourism,
People-to-People contacts and Connectivity etc.
Since 2011-12, while 13 projects have been completed, 17 projects are under implementation and 22
projects are in the planning stage, some of which are in the final stages of approval. Programmes and
projects totalling over USD 48.85 million have been proposed since September 2011 till date to
ASEAN through the ASEAN Secretariat. Some of the prominent projects, which are either ongoing or
in the final stages of approval are as follows:
Space Project envisaging establishment of a Tracking, Data Reception/Data Processing Station in Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam and upgradation of Telemetry Tracking and Command Station in Biak,
Indonesia; Setting up of Centres of Excellence in Software Development & Training in CLMV
countries are some of the major projects under implementation.
Apart from the above projects, India has been supporting ASEAN specially CLMV countries under the
Initiatives for ASEAN Integration, which include projects on Training of English Language for Law
Enforcement Officers in CLMV countries and Training of professionals dealing with capital markets in
CLMV by National Institute of Securities Management Mumbai. To boost People-to-People
Interaction with ASEAN, India has been organising various programme including Training
Programme for ASEAN diplomats, Exchange of Parliamentarians, Participation of ASEAN students in
the National Childrens Science Congress, ASEAN-India Network of Think Tanks, ASEAN-India
Eminent Persons Lecture Series etc.
In the field of agriculture, India and ASEAN have projects such as Exchange of Farmers, ASEAN-India
Fellowships for Higher Agricultural Education in India and ASEAN, Exchange of Agriculture
Scientists, Empowerment of ASEAN-Indian Women through Cooperatives etc. In the S&T field, there
are projects such as ASEAN-India Collaborative Project on S&T for Combating Malaria, ASEAN-India

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Programme on Quality Systems in Manufacturing, ASEAN-India Collaborative R&D Project on

Mariculture, Bio-mining and Bioremediation Technologies etc.
Delhi Dialogue: India has an annual Track 1.5 event Delhi Dialogue, for discussing politico-security
and economic issues between ASEAN and India. Since 2009, India has had seven editions of this
event. The 7th edition of Delhi Dialogue was hosted by the MEA in partnership with IDSA, FICCI and
other select Indian and ASEAN partners on 11-12 March, 2015 in New Delhi. DD VII bore the overall
theme 'ASEAN-India: Shaping the post 2015 Agenda' and included an Inaugural Ministerial Session, a
Business Session and an Academic Session. DD VIII is scheduled to be held on 17-19 February 2016.
Mission to ASEAN: India has set up a separate Mission to ASEAN and the EAS in Jakarta in April
2015 with a dedicated Ambassador to strengthen engagement with ASEAN and ASEAN-centric
processes.