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18. Expectations and Experiences of the New Members: A Vietnamese Perspective
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
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88 Nguyen Phuong Binh and Luan Thuy Duong By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville 18. EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE NEW MEMBERS A Vietnamese Perspective NGUYEN PHUONG BINH and LUAN THUY DUONG Reprinted in abridged form from Nguyen Phuong Binh and Luan Thuy Duong, “Expectations and Experiences of the New Members: A Vietnamese Perspective”, in Reinventing ASEAN, edited by Simon S. C. Tay, Jesus P. Estanislao, and Hadi Soesastro (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2001), pp. 185– 205, by permission of the authors and the publisher. EXPECTATIONS: ATTRACTIONS OF THE “ASEAN WAY” In 1995, Vietnam, owing to the changing international and regional political climate, was able to join ASEAN as a full member. This was a considerable achievement, given the political and security concerns between the original ASEAN members and Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s over the question of Cambodia and other related issues. The end of the conflict in Vietnam, and of the Cold War, removed some of the barriers to co-operation. The essential factor for Vietnam’s membership into ASEAN, however, stemmed from the policy of reform or renovation (doi moi) that the Vietnamese Communist Party announced in 1986. It was this policy that led Vietnam to approach ASEAN with increasing interest from the mid-1980s. The Vietnamese Government recognized that the course of reform in the country needed, first and foremost, a favourable external environment, with peaceful and friendly relations with its neighbouring countries. It had observed the experiences and practices of the different ASEAN member states in dealing with each other. It was thought that these ASEAN experiences and processes could help ensure that Vietnam, upon joining, would enjoy the same favourable conditions. As many scholars from both within and outside ASEAN have observed, it is an organization for co-operation, especially in the political field. Differences in political and social preferences did not prevent member countries from promoting good neighbourliness and forging an open regionalism, which serves the need for peace, stability, and development of its members. The success of ASEAN in this regard lies in the fact that the organization has found ways to manage and diffuse territorial disputes among its members by encouraging the parties concerned to use 018 AR Ch 18 22/9/03, 12:41 PM 88 Expectations and Experiences of the New Members: A Vietnamese Perspective 89 By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville peaceful means of settlement. Since 1967, no intra-ASEAN disputes have turned into military conflicts. The “ASEAN way” for dealing with inter-state relations among its members was anchored in the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia (also known as the Bali Treaty, or TAC) signed in 1976. This is primarily a nonaggression pact which sets out the principles for ASEAN inter-state relations and emphasizes respect for independence and territorial integrity, non-interference in domestic affairs, refraining from the use of force, and seeking the peaceful settlement of conflicts between countries that are parties to the agreement. Thus, when Vietnam expressed its desire to become a member of ASEAN, the same political and security principles were expected to apply to future relations between Vietnam and the ASEAN countries. In this way, the TAC would become a code of conduct, guiding relations between all countries in Southeast Asia, including the new members. This code of conduct had already proved to be effective in softening disputes between individual member states. There had also been some signs that the ASEAN member states had resolved some of these disputes by transforming potential conflicts into cooperation . Vietnam has been negotiating with a few ASEAN countries on the demarcation of borders, continental shelves, and overlapping sea zones, as well as fishing and other issues. Some issues have been satisfactorily settled while prospects for resolving others are promising. The “ASEAN way” was once again highlighted in the resolution of disputes in the South China Sea, where a number of states, both in ASEAN and outside the group, have overlapping claims to territory. ASEAN’s Declaration on the South China Sea of 1992 called on all parties concerned “to exercise restraint and resolve all sovereignty and jurisdictional issues pertaining to the South China Sea by peaceful means; to explore the possibility of cooperation there on safety of maritime navigation and communication, etc.; to apply the principles of the Bali Treaty as the basis for establishing a code of international conduct...