-
74. ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Meeting
- ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute
- Chapter
- Additional Information
370 Tommy Koh By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville 74. ASEAN AND THE ASIA-EUROPE MEETING TOMMY KOH Reprinted in abridged form from Tommy Koh, “ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Meeting”, in ASEAN Towards 2020: Strategic Goals and Future Directions, edited by Stephen Leong (Kuala Lumpur: Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia; and London: ASEAN Academic Press, 1998), pp. 135–39, by permission of the author and the publishers. ASEAN’S ROLE IN LAUNCHING ASEM Why did Asean launch the ASEM process? My surmise is that the leaders of Asean decided in 1994–95 to convene the first Asia-Europe Summit in Bangkok for the following reasons. First, looking at the contemporary world, Asean’s leaders must have been struck by how much the world had changed. For example, in 1995, North America, EU and the Asia 10 accounted for 29.5%, 29.5% and 24.9% of the world’s GNP, respectively. However, assuming that Asia grows at an average of 5% per annum, and Europe and North America at 2.5%, the combined GNP of North America, EU and Asia 10, in the year 2020, at 1994 prices, would be US$14,587 billion, US$14,399 billion, and US$20,733 billion, respectively. In other words, by the year 2020, East Asia’s economy is likely to be significantly larger than those of North America and Western Europe. Because the world economy has three codrivers , its future therefore requires that we establish cordial and cooperative relations between those three regional economic centres. Second, when Asean’s leaders looked at the institutional ties existing between and amongst the three power centres, they were struck by the contrast. They observed that between North America and Western Europe, there existed a thick web of institutional and human ties, for example, NATO, OSCE, the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, etc. They also observed that, in recent years, the leaders of East Asia and North America have been building bridges across the Pacific, for example, APEC and ARF. However, in the case of the EU and East Asia, there was a paucity of institutional and human links. The decision of the leaders of East Asia and Western Europe to convene their first summit, in Bangkok, in March 1996, was therefore an important first step to fill this void. The success of 074 AR Ch 74 22/9/03, 12:55 PM 370 ASEAN and the Asia-Europe Meeting 371 By: ROS Size: 7.5" x 10.25" J/No: 03-14474 Fonts: New Baskerville ASEM 1 has brought credit to Asean. Asean has a track record of coming up with wise and timely initiatives, especially in the postCold War world. HOW TO REVITALISE THE ASEAN-EU RELATIONSHIP? ASEM is in the honeymoon phase. It is new and exciting. The Asean-EU relationship was started in 1978. It is a marriage which is almost 20 years old. Like some 20-year-old marriages, there is a danger that the spouses will begin to take each other for granted and that spouses will begin to look elsewhere! Our challenge is two-fold: (a) to keep the marriage fresh; and (b) to make the Asean-EU relationship and ASEM mutually reinforcing. The following are some suggestions on how to respond to the two challenges. BROADEN AND DEEPEN THE POLITICAL DIALOGUE First, I support the recommendation of the Asean-EU Group of Eminent Persons to broaden and deepen the Asean-EU political dialogue. The dialogue should be broadened to include the private sector, universities, think-tanks, other nongovernmental organisations and representatives of young Asians and Europeans. The dialogue could be deepened to include such issues as: • the reform of the UN; • peacekeeping; • preventive diplomacy; • human rights; • nuclear non-proliferation; • international crime; • terrorism; • piracy; • health; and • environment and sustainable development . The two sides should aim to transcend dialogue and enter the world of cooperation . The Asean-EU dialogue is the best example of a North-South dialogue. The two sides should aspire to achieve a common action agenda which they could then pursue in the appropriate forum, such as, the United Nations. DIALOGUE OF CIVILISATIONS Second, the Asean-EU cultural dialogue is a dialogue between several civilisations. Culturally, Western Europe is relatively homogeneous. West European values have their roots in the Judeo-Christian religions, the Renaissance and Reformation, and the Industrial Revolution. Unlike Western Europe, Southeast Asia is a region of great diversity. Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism...