The Vientiane Summit<\/p>\n
Ong Keng Yong,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will end
\nthe year 2004 on a high note. A record number of about 20 major
\nagreements and declarations are expected to be signed or adopted
\neither by the ASEAN member countries or between ASEAN and its
\npartners in the Lao capital of Vientiane next week. This is the
\nculmination of year-long consultations, negotiations and
\nconsensus-building that demonstrates ASEAN's continued dynamism
\nand relevance.<\/p>\n
The 10th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Vientiane will
\ntake up issues ranging from setting strategic directions to
\nadopting follow-up cooperative activities and discussing results
\nof commissioned studies by experts. The subjects cover the
\nspheres of peace and security, economic integration (in
\nparticular, the priority integration of eleven selected sectors
\nin ASEAN) and socio-cultural development. The event will have
\nsomething for everybody: those in the public sector, private
\nsector and the civil society.<\/p>\n
The Vientiane Summit is a vote of confidence in Laos' ability
\nto undertake its responsibilities in steering ASEAN this year.
\nHosting the ASEAN summit and its related meetings for the first
\ntime, Lao will have an opportunity to focus the regional media's
\nattention on the country.<\/p>\n
The summit in Vientiane will see in action freshly mandated
\nheads of state\/government from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
\nPhilippines and Singapore. The good group chemistry of their
\npredecessors and the other ASEAN Leaders had a most positive
\neffect on ASEAN summit diplomacy, bringing out the best of the
\ndiversity in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
There will be a keen interest to see a replication of such
\nconstructive group dynamics. The new Prime Minister of Myanmar is
\nlikely to be the most watched as he updates his counterparts on
\nthe situation in his country since his predecessor obtained ASEAN
\nLeaders' support of a roadmap for national reconciliation at the
\nlast ASEAN Summit in Bali in October 2003.<\/p>\n
The ASEAN Leaders are expected to adopt the six-year Vientiane
\nAction Program (VAP) to continue the implementation of the goals
\nlaid down in the ASEAN Vision 2020 and the Bali Concord II. The
\nVAP incorporates, among others, ASEAN's specific commitments to
\nestablish the ASEAN Community, including the plans of action on
\nthe ASEAN Economic Community, the ASEAN Security Community and
\nthe ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community.<\/p>\n
These commitments for community-building are also designed to
\nnarrow the development gap among the ASEAN Member Countries. The
\nVAP serves as a cross-sectoral and inter-facing instrument to tie
\nin the various practical actions for the period 2004 to 2010.<\/p>\n
In addition to the annual ASEAN Plus Three (China, Japan and
\nthe Republic of Korea) and ASEAN-India summitry, this year will
\nalso see ASEAN leaders meeting their counterparts from
\nneighboring Australia and New Zealand. Commemorating three
\ndecades of cooperative relations, the leaders of ASEAN, Australia
\nand New Zealand are expected to elevate the current economic
\nrelationship under the AFTA-CER Closer Economic Partnership to a
\nhigher level by launching negotiations on establishing an ASEAN,
\nAustralia and New Zealand Free Trade Area within 10 years.<\/p>\n
Drawing alongside the closer economic arrangements that China,
\nJapan and India have each entered with ASEAN in the past two
\nyears, the Republic of Korea, this time, will sign with ASEAN a
\nJoint Declaration on Comprehensive Cooperation Partnership. The
\nDeclaration will mandate the establishment of an ASEAN-RoK Free
\nTrade Area (AKFTA) to be realized within ten years or earlier.
\nThe AKFTA will involve progressive elimination of all forms of
\nbarriers to trade in goods, services and investment. ASEAN and
\nthe South Korea are the 5th largest trading partners for each
\nother and ASEAN is the third largest destination of FDI from the
\nSouth Korea.<\/p>\n
ASEAN and China will carry forward the process laid down in
\nthe 2002 Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic
\nCooperation by entering into agreements on trade in goods and on
\ndispute settlement mechanisms. The two-way trade between ASEAN
\nand China in 2003 was close to US$79 billion. For 2004, the
\nbooming economy of China and the higher than expected GDP growth
\nin ASEAN will mean a bilateral trade of nearly US$100 billion.
\nThus, the target of US$100 billion for ASEAN-China trade by 2005
\nis within easy reach.<\/p>\n
Cognizant that international terrorism remains a threat to
\npeace and security in the region, ASEAN and Japan are expected to
\nlaunch cooperation to counter international terrorism through
\ninformation exchange, intelligence sharing and capacity-building.
\nBoth sides will designate national focal points to coordinate the
\nimplementation of the proposed Joint Declaration.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the ASEAN-Japan Summit will review the
\nprogress of implementation of the closer economic partnership
\nframework, which was launched in 2003, particularly on the
\nconsultations towards the liberalization of trade in goods,
\nservices, and investment.<\/p>\n
An innovative and significantly symbolic event is the ASEAN-
\nIndia Car Rally from India's northeast Guwahati City to the
\nIndonesian island of Batam. TherRally will be flagged off by the
\nIndian Prime Minister one week before the summit and the cars
\nwill be in Vientiane in time for the ASEAN-India Summit on Nov.
\n30.<\/p>\n
From India, the car rally will traverse Myanmar, Thailand,
\nLaos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and will end in
\nBatam. The car rally will underline the geographic contiguity
\nbetween India and Southeast Asia and bring home a point that
\nASEAN and India are connected and accessible through land
\ntransport.<\/p>\n
A visionary document and a plan of action between ASEAN and
\nIndia will be signed in Vientiane. This is expected to boost the
\ncurrent ASEAN-India trade of US$13 billion to US$30 billion by
\n2007.<\/p>\n
The foreign minister of Russia will travel to Vientiane to
\nsign an instrument of accession to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and
\nCooperation in Southeast Asia. Russia will be the sixth country
\noutside of Southeast Asia -- after Papua New Guinea, China,
\nIndia, Japan and Pakistan - to adhere to the purposes and
\nprinciples of the Treaty, which prescribes a code of conduct in
\ninter-state relations and a process of pacific settlement of
\ndisputes in Southeast Asia. The Republic of Korea is also
\nexpected to accede to the Treaty at the Vientiane Summit.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that the ten diverse ASEAN Member Countries
\nand a similar number of dialogue partners make ASEAN community-
\nbuilding and international relations a complex undertaking. Yet,
\nthere is an audacious enterprise among ASEAN and its partners to
\nget great value from such a configuration.<\/p>\n
ASEAN has remained focused on consolidating economic
\nintegration, maintaining inter-state peace and stability and
\npromoting human security and development. ASEAN has positioned
\nitself strategically as the hub of future-oriented regional
\ndialogue and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. ASEAN is
\ndetermined to share its dynamism and optimism for the future with
\nthose who believe in prospering together.<\/p>\n
The author is ASEAN Secretary General in Jakarta. The view is
\npersonal.<\/p>",
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