CHAPTER 01

ASEAN Community:
A Vietnamese Perspective
Le Trung Kien
20Reuters
© | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges
INTRODUCTION
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967, when
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declara-
tion as the founding document of ASEAN. Subsequently, Brunei acceded to the association
on 7 January 1984. On 28 July 1995, Viet Nam became the 7th member of ASEAN while Laos
and Myanmar joined it on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia joined on 30 April 1999. For Viet Nam,
the accession to ASEAN was one of the most critical milestones in the country’s regional
and international integration. This historic event was also the demonstration of the tireless
efforts of Viet Nam and ASEAN in transforming Southeast Asia, once a region fraught with
conflicts, into one of dialogues, cooperation, mutual trust, and solidarity. This chapter ex-
plores the journey of ASEAN Community building in the last 54 years, the road ahead, and
Viet Nam’s active contributions as a member of this regional endeavour.

ASEAN COMMUNITY BUILDING: THE

54-YEAR JOURNEY
The word “community” conveys a sense of shared identity, solidarity, and togetherness. The
sense of belonging to a community is positive regarding being secure, caring, and proud.
Within ASEAN, the term “community” has been reflected as “a big family”, “under one roof”,
just to name a few. The rationale of building the ASEAN Community reflected the prevailing
trend of the era when ASEAN was established. The 1960s and 1970s witnessed the second
wave of globalisation and the rise of regionalism. Against this backdrop, countries world-
wide worked together for joint development, peace and stability and established regional or-
ganisations. On 8 August 1967, five Southeast Asian countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia,
the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, declared the establishment of ASEAN. The journey
of the ASEAN Community has begun since then with the motive “in the spirit of equality
and partnership to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of
Southeast Asian Nations”, as stated in the Bangkok Declaration (ASEAN 1967). The ASEAN
Founding Members made clear that the association would be open to all states in Southeast
Asia. The community of all ten Southeast Asian countries would ensure peace and stability,
leverage the size of the market and production base, and cultivate a harmonious society of
diverse cultures.

Community building efforts in ASEAN gained momentum in 2003 as stated in the Bali Con-
cord II, “ASEAN Community shall be established comprising three pillars: political and securi-
ty cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-cultural cooperation” (ASEAN 2012).

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 21

From that moment on, the ASEAN Leaders have envisioned the three pillars of the ASEAN
Community as follows: the ASEAN Political and Security Community (APSC) to ensure that
countries in the region live peacefully with each other and with the world at large in a just,
democratic and harmonious environment; the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) to cre-
ate a stable, prosperous and highly competitive ASEAN economic region; and the ASEAN
Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) to create a cohesive Southeast Asia in partnership as a
community of caring societies.

The ASEAN Community building process was further strengthened with the adoption of the
ASEAN Charter. In 2015, the 25th ASEAN Summit adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on
“ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together, ASEAN Community Vision 2025” and the three Com-
munity Blueprints. The ASEAN Community, which came into being on 31 December 2015,
has made ASEAN a politically cohesive, economically integrated, and socially responsible
community. The ASEAN Community Vision 2025 puts forward “a peaceful, stable and resil-
ient Community with enhanced capacity to respond effectively to challenges, and ASEAN as
an outward-looking region within a global community of nations, while maintaining ASEAN
centrality…vibrant, sustainable and highly integrated economies and ASEAN empowered
with capabilities, to seize opportunities and address challenges in the coming decade” (ASE-
AN 2015).

To realise such a community vision, the APSC Blueprint 2025, AEC Blueprint 2025 and ASCC
Blueprint 2016–2025 have been implemented. The APSC Blueprint envisages ASEAN to be a
rules-based Community of shared values and norms, a cohesive, peaceful, stable, and resil-
ient region with shared responsibility for comprehensive security, and a dynamic and out-
ward-looking region in an increasingly integrated and interdependent world (ASEAN 2021).
The AEC Blueprint 2025 aims to achieve the vision of having an AEC by 2025 that is highly
integrated and cohesive, competitive, innovative, and dynamic, with enhanced connectivity
and sectoral cooperation, and a more resilient, inclusive, and people-oriented, people-cen-
tred community, integrated with the global economy (Ibid). The ASCC Blueprint 2025 strives
for a community that engages and benefits the people and is inclusive, sustainable, resilient,
and dynamic (Ibid).

22 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

REVIEW OF ASEAN COMMUNITY
BUILDING PROCESS
Major achievements

As time passed, the 54-year journey of ASEAN Community building has yielded fruits of rap-
id economic growth, sustainable peace, and longstanding stability in the region. As stated
by Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, “All these have been achieved through the strong
political commitment of the Leaders of ASEAN countries to come together for the good of
the community, drawing on the synergies released by the framework for cooperation” (Hun
2017). Former Secretary-General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh also stressed, “The forward-look-
ing strategic vision outlined in the Bangkok Declaration constituted a solid premise for the
ASEAN Member States, different in political systems, economic structures and religious be-
liefs but bonded together by close historical and cultural ties, to thrive beyond themselves,
respect and leverage on their differences and successfully built the ASEAN Community of
unity in diversity” (Le 2020). In 2020, under the Viet Nam’s Chairmanship, ASEAN released the
“Mid-term Review of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 Blueprints”, which assessed prog-
ress in the first five years of implementation of the Blueprints, identified gaps, and offered
recommendations on the way forward.

In the political and security pillar, within the framework of the current ASEAN Community,
peaceful relations among the ASEAN Member States are sustainable. The Treaty of Amity
and Cooperation in Southeast Asia has been established as a foundation of inter-state re-
lations with the participation of nearly forty countries. ASEAN and China announced a draft
Framework Code of Conduct in 2017 and a Single Draft Negotiating Text in 2018. The ASEAN
Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM-plus for external partners have laid the
foundation for ASEAN’s defence and military cooperation between ASEAN and partner coun-
tries (Beginda 2019).

policies are drawn upon to assist Cambodian policymakers in successfully hosting the ASEAN
Summits and related meetings in 2022. This book also serves as a solid piece of policy-orient-
ed research, which provides diverse perspectives from policy advisers, scholars, researchers,
investors, and practitioners.

A strong ASEAN Community is also a community in which the ASEAN’s voice is heard, and re-
gional powers respect the ASEAN’s centrality in regional architecture. The concept of ASEAN
centrality was coined in the ASEAN Charter. Article 1.15 of the Charter stipulates, “To main-
tain the centrality and proactive role of ASEAN as the primary driving force in its relations
and cooperation with its external partners in a regional architecture that is open, transpar-
ent and inclusive” (ASEAN 2021). The ASEAN centrality has been proven by its inventiveness
and leading roles in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN
Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM
Plus).

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 23

In the evolving regional architecture, ASEAN has been adaptive. In 2019, ASEAN issued the
ASEAN Outlook on the Indo_Pacific. The Outlook is “intended to enhance ASEAN Community
building process and to strengthen and give new momentum for existing ASEAN-led mecha-
nisms to face challenges better and seize opportunities arising from the current and future
regional and global environments” (ASEAN 2019). At the 36th ASEAN Summit hosted by Viet
Nam, The Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, stressed the need to “continue to
strengthen ASEAN Centrality and unity as the way to be safe and prosperous region and a
beacon of hope for multilateralism in these trying times” (Lee 2020). Up until now, ASEAN has
ten Dialogue Partners, including all major powers, five Development Partners and Sectoral
Dialogue Partners, and official relationship with more than 90 countries. ASEAN-led institu-
tions and arrangements are still the most relevant for channelling efforts to succeed against
current and future challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the economic pillar, ASEAN has essentially become a single production base, the world’s
third-largest market with about 650 million people and an essential link in global production
and supply chains. In all the three aspects - physical, institutional, and people-to-people - the
ASEAN Community has bonded even closer as ASEAN citizens can move freely within the
bloc. Cooperation is reinforced in almost all walks of life. With a combined GDP in 2020 of
about 3,11 trillion USD, (Statista). ASEAN has become the fifth largest economy globally and
the third largest in Asia. The region is poised to become the fourth-largest economy in the
world by 2050 (US-ASEAN Business Council 2021). Until April 2021, 54.1 per cent of sectoral
work plans in the AEC had been completed, while 34.2 per cent were being implemented
(ASEAN 2021). Within the bloc, the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement has been established. In
addition, the network of ASEAN’s FTA with partners has strengthened the AEC’s continued
growth trajectory. These include ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA, ASEAN-China FTA, ASE-
AN-India FTA, ASEAN-Republic of Korea FTA, and ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic
Partnership. On 15 November 2020, ASEAN signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP) agreement along with Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and South
Korea. The covering of about 30 per cent of global GDP and 3 per cent of the world’s popula-
tion makes RCEP the largest FTA in history. Such efforts have helped lower production costs
for businesses and facilitate trade and investment within ASEAN and between ASEAN and
partners.

24 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

FIGURE 1. REAL GDP GROWTH OF ASEAN,
1996–2021

Source: Mid-Term Review of ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025

In the socio-cultural pillar, the progress of implementing the ASCC is encouraging. As of May
2020, 71,8% of the actions and activities in the work plan of ASCC Blueprint had been imple-
mented, including 24,8% was completed.

Types of activities comprise capacity building (29.5%), research and publication (23.9%),
public outreach (21.0%), policy formulation (19.2%) and groundwork (6.5%) (ASEAN 2020).
On improving the youths’ competitiveness and productivity, a series of activities have been
organised to equip the youth with 21st-century skills needed in the era of rapid digital trans-
formation, urbanisation, and climate change. The ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Edu-
cation for Out-of-School Children and Youth (OOSCY) has been implemented to provide life-
long learning, accreditation, and skill development. In addition, the ASEAN Labour Ministers’
Statement on the Future of Work: Embracing Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Work
has provided an inclusive framework to help the ASEAN workforce catch up with future skills
and work. On healthy lifestyle, the physical wellbeing of the ASEAN Community has been
promoted through activities to reduce the non-communicable diseases, combat anti-micro-
bial resistance, and prevent malnutrition. On the environment, the ASCC has also introduced
initiatives to reduce marine debris pollution, mitigate the transboundary haze in the region,
and build climate-resilient cities. The ASEAN Coordination Center for Humanitarian Assis-
tance on Disaster Response and Management (AHA Center) is responsible for developing
disaster risk management and climate change adaptation capabilities. In 2019, ASEAN cele-
brated the ASEAN Cultural year through several initiatives to promote the roles of culture in
the region’s sustainable development. Finally, raising greater awareness of ASEAN is a vital
part to heighten the sense of the ASEAN Community.

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 25

The ASEAN Communication Master Plan 2018–2025 (ACMP II) has exerted the bloc’s efforts
towards the “ASEAN: A Community of Opportunities for All”.

Key challenges

Despite significant achievements, the progress of ASEAN Community building has not always
been smooth. As reminded by N. Hassan Wirajuda, the former Foreign Minister of Indone-
sia, it took five years to “translate this into charter-based provision” despite an agreement
in principle on the ASEAN Community concept. Moreover, the recent development of the
regional and international situation has complicated the ongoing progress of ASEAN Com-
munity building. Some key challenges to the ASEAN Community building are as follows.

First, the ASEAN boat is sailing across high seas of increasing uncertainty and disruption. The
increasing geopolitical tensions among major powers, especially between the U.S. and China
in the region, and the enduring fallout of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic are, among others,
big waves affecting the ASEAN Community building. The competition between the U.S. and
China continues to worsen down the road. “If ASEAN is to live up to its aspirations of unity
and centrality, ASEAN Member States must demonstrate leadership through [a] decisive ac-
tion on difficult issues even if this may even mean having to [utilise] the consensus-based
mechanism differently from the past” (Noor 2020). How to achieve such leadership will be
challenging for ASEAN in the time to come. In addition, the outbreak of Covid-19 in early
2020 has created additional constraints that are unfavourable for regional multilateralism in
general and for ASEAN Community building. This unfolding situation has posed the looming
risk of not realising all the priorities and goals of the ASEAN Community by 2025.

Second, although ASEAN Member States have made progress in raising the awareness of the
ASEAN Community, recent polls have shown mixed results. In the Poll on ASEAN Awareness
2018, across the 10 ASEAN Member States, 96% of the respondents were aware of ASEAN.
However, fewer than one-third claimed to know the ASEAN Community and its three pillars
(ASEAN 2018). From the historical perspective, one obstacle to the sense of the ASEAN Com-
munity is the cultivation of different national narratives in each of ASEAN Member States
(Dira 2016). In addition, the diversity in government systems, economic systems and cultures
in the bloc has added more complexity preventing the spirit of togetherness and shared
values within ASEAN from converging.

Third, each of the ASEAN Community pillars has its challenges. For the APSC, key challenges
include the shifting balance of power in the region, the issue of the East Sea, the domestic
political situation of ASEAN Member States, and increasing danger posed by non-traditional
security threats. For the AEC, the development gap within ASEAN is still prominent with a
broad spectrum of income levels. In 2019, the GDP per capita of Singapore was about 65,233
USD (World Bank Data), while that of Myanmar was about 1,410 USD (World Bank Data). In
2017, the World Bank’s Global Findex showed that 98% of people had a bank account in Sin-
gapore, while in Cambodia, the number was 22% (World Bank).

26 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

These statistics illustrate the urgent need for ASEAN to ensure that the regional economic
integration progress is conducive to narrowing development gap among the ASEAN Member
States. In addition, as the digitalisation of the ASEAN economy is under way, there is a risk
of fragmentation and incompatibility among different systems of technology used by the
ASEAN Member States. Given the different pace of digitalisation within ASEAN, this challenge
may further widen the digital gap among the ASEAN members. For the ASCC, the changing
demographics may pose a challenge. Such challenges are intertwined and require cross-pil-
lar solutions and a stronger communication strategy. For example, given the growing sophis-
tication and transboundary nature of cyber-threats, more collective measures are needed
to ensure open, secure, stable, accessible, and resilient cyberspace to support the digital
economy and social stability.

VIET NAM’S ACTIVE CONTRIBUTIONS

TO ASEAN COMMUNITY BUILDING
The accession of the Viet Nam to ASEAN in the mid-1990s was a historic moment for both
Viet Nam and ASEAN. From the national interest point of view, it is quite evident that the
ASEAN membership of Viet Nam was driven by pragmatic reasons of creating a stable and
peaceful regional environment for the country’s security and economic growth. From the
constructivist approach, Tung (2007) argued, “Viet Nam joining ASEAN was also part of a
broader process in which the country forged a new state identity in the post-Cold War era”
(Nguyen 2007). There was a recognition in Viet Nam that “by working with ASEAN it can have
a greater impact on regional and global events, rather than by just acting alone” (Le and
Hoang 2013). The ASEAN membership has helped Viet Nam acquire a new image and new
international status.

It is clear that the Southeast Asian region is vital for Viet Nam. Therefore, it is in Viet Nam’s
interest to contribute to ASEAN Community building. As stated by former Vietnamese Minis-
ter of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cam, “The Asia Pacific region, at first Southeast Asia and
East Asia, places an important position in the foreign policy of Viet Nam” (Nguyen 2009). In
2000, former Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dy Nien said, “ASEAN member-
ship increasingly provides us with the feeling of being on board with other ASEAN countries,
which promotes better mutual understanding and sympathy” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Viet Nam). The former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung also referred to ASE-
AN as “a great family” (People’s Daily 2007). ASEAN countries endeavoured to construct an
ASEAN Community, Viet Nam “finds it quite comfortable in its support for and commitment
to this grand project” (Nguyen 2007). Furthermore, the recent 13th National Party Congress
of the Communist Party of Viet Nam decided to elevate Viet Nam’s multilateral diplomacy,
emphasising ASEAN among other partners (Le and Lai 2021).

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 27

For ASEAN, Viet Nam’s accession contributed constructively to the expansion of the associ-
ation with ten member countries. General Secretary of the National ASEAN 2020 Commit-
tee Nguyen Quoc Dzung mentioned that Viet Nam had acted “as the bridge between the
mainland Southeast Asia and maritime Southeast Asia” (Nguyen 2020). Such a progress has
consolidated peace and stability in the region and helped create a united, inclusive, and
open ASEAN Community. Since joining ASEAN, Viet Nam has been an active participant and
contributor to the ASEAN Community building process (Lim 2020). The contributions of Viet
Nam to the ASEAN Community building are reflected in five key areas.

First, Viet Nam has been very active in contributing to the formulation of strategic directions
and major decisions of ASEAN in various fields. For example, in 1998, Viet Nam hosted the
sixth ASEAN Summit, which adopted the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA).

The HPA is the first in a series of plans of action to realise the ASEAN Vision 2020 that is of
“ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian Nations, outward-looking, living in peace, stability
and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and a community
of caring societies” (ASEAN 1997). In addition, with the foreign policy of being active, pro-
active and responsible, Viet Nam has participated in formulating key documents such as
The Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (1995), ASEAN Vision 2020 (1997),
Bali Concord II Declaration (2003), Vientiane Action Program (2004), ASEAN Charter (2007),
Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009–2015 and ASEAN Vision 2025, AEC Master Plan,
AEC 2025 Consolidated Strategic Action Plan, and Master Plans on ASEAN Connectivity and
ASEAN Integration Initiative Work Plans.

Second, Viet Nam has successfully assumed its rotating Chair of ASEAN in 2010 and 2020. In
2010, as shared by the former Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Pham Gia Khiem, the theme “Toward the ASEAN Community: From Vision to Action” was
chosen as “it portrayed the goal that ASEAN wished to reach through specific actions, rather
than general calls” (Pham 2020). In 2010, Viet Nam chaired the 16th Summit to issue the
ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Recovery and Sustainable Development. Since then, ASEAN
economic integration has focused more on sustainability, the balance of opportunities, and
benefits for its member countries. This was the first time that ASEAN launched a model for
developing the ASEAN Economic Community based on the harmonisation of many policies
from economic to social, and from environmental to macroeconomic management policies.
Furthermore, as the Chairman of the ASEAN Connectivity Task Force in 2010, Viet Nam and
ASEAN members developed the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC), adopted at the
17th ASEAN Summit in October 2010. MPAC aims to create closer linkages in transport infra-
structure and information technology, especially in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, laying
the foundation for expanding connectivity.

28 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

In 2020, as ASEAN Chair, Viet Nam showed the spirit under the theme “Cohesive and Re-
sponsive” when working closely with the ASEAN member countries to overcome challenges
posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and recover the regional economy. Facing an unprecedent-
ed situation, ASEAN has shown its solidarity and unity in mobilising the overall strength of
the ASEAN Community to respond to the pandemic, while maintaining the momentum of
ASEAN’s cooperation and regional connectivity.

ASEAN is among the first regional mechanisms to take early and practical steps, such as
convening a Special Meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council in February 2020 to step up
collective responses to the pandemic. In addition, ASEAN has strengthened cooperation with
other countries and international organisations to improve epidemic prevention and control
effectiveness.

At the 37th ASEAN Summit held in November 2020, the Leaders approved several initiatives
on cooperation in responding to Covid-19 and epidemic risks, putting into operation the
ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies, the ASEAN Stan-
dard Operating Procedures in response to Public Health Emergencies, and the ASEAN Cen-
tre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases. ASEAN also approved the ASEAN
Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the ASEAN Travel Corridor Agreement, and the syn-
chronous implementation plan on all three the pillars to support people and businesses. In
particular, the Ha Noi Declaration on the ASEAN Community’s post-2025 vision emphasised,
“A caring and sharing, cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, in which ASEAN Member
States are bonded by regional solidarity and cooperation, where ASEAN identity and the
sense of belonging are promoted” (ASEAN 2020).

Third, Viet Nam is among the most active players in regional economic integration. The
country is among the top two countries with the highest implementation rate of priority
measures in the AEC Master Plan 2015. Viet Nam is currently among the top four countries
with the highest implementation rate of the AEC Blueprint 2025 (People’s Daily 2020). It has
participated in comprehensive cooperation with other ASEAN countries in trade in goods,
services, investment, agriculture, transportation, telecommunications, intellectual property
protection, competition policy, and consumer protection. By 2010, Viet Nam had reduced
import tax for nearly ten thousand tariff lines to 0 per cent-5 per cent, according to the
Common Effective Preferential Tariff (CEPT). Such record accounts for 97.8 per cent of the
tariff lines, of which there are 5,488 tariff lines at the tax rate of zero per cent. On 1 January
2018, Viet Nam eliminated tariffs on 98% of tariff lines imported from ASEAN countries. This
is the highest reduction in import tax among all Free Trade Agreements (FTA) that Viet Nam
has signed. It is also one of the leading countries in implementing and piloting trade facili-
tation measures such as the ASEAN Single Window and self-certification of origin and trade
database. Compared to when Viet Nam joined the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1996,
the total import-export turnover between Viet Nam and ASEAN increased by more than 16
times, from 3.26 billion USD in 1995 to nearly 53.598 billion USD in 2020 (Viet Nam Financial
Times 2021).

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 29

As of the end of July 2020, the registered foreign direct investment (FDI) capital of investors
from ASEAN reached about 82.2 billion USD, accounting for 21.6% of total registered FDI in
Viet Nam. As of the end of June 2020, Viet Nam’s direct investment in Laos reached more
than 4.9 billion USD in registered capital, followed by the Cambodia market with a total in-
vestment of nearly 2.8 billion USD (Figure and Event 2021).

Fourth, Viet Nam has been eagerly pushing initiatives to ensure that the ASEAN Community
building process has a trickle-down effect, benefiting all people, groups, and businesses in
ASEAN. Viet Nam has given priorities and driven initiatives promoting welfare, social services
for disadvantaged groups, and social work professions in the regional work plans.

Such efforts included developing the ASEAN Declaration on Strengthening Social Protection
and the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the ASEAN Region. Furthermore, together
with ASEAN countries, Viet Nam has put great efforts in expanding the labour market in ASE-
AN countries and strengthening the recognition of skills among ASEAN countries.

Fifth, Viet Nam has contributed constructively to the expansion of ASEAN’s relations with
external partners. In 2010, it had two important initiatives to expand the East Asia Summit
with Russia and the U.S. and participated in the establishment of the ASEAN Defence Minis-
ters’ Meeting–Plus (ADMM+), with the first ADMM+ hosted by Viet Nam. The country has also
successfully assumed the role of country coordinator of ASEAN–China relations (2009–2012),
ASEAN–EU relations (2012–2015), and ASEAN–India relations (2015–2018). It is now the coun-
try coordinator of ASEAN–Japan relations (2018–2021).

By participating in the ASEAN Community building process, Viet Nam has enjoyed great ben-
efits from a stable and peaceful region for the country’s socio-economic development. An
ASEAN comprising 10 Southeast Asian nations is the foundation of each member’s peaceful
and stable regional environment, including Viet Nam. The accession to ASEAN is a milestone
for Viet Nam to further open its door to the world and accelerate its international integra-
tion process. The political commitments and principles of sovereignty, equality, territorial
integrity, non-interference, and consensus have laid the foundation for Viet Nam and the
other ASEAN Member States to strengthen the open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based
regional architecture, as well as the ASEAN Charter and the United Nations Charter.

After 25 years as an ASEAN member, Viet Nam considers the region one of its leading eco-
nomic and trade partners. The membership of AEC provides it more opportunities to access
regional and external markets, thereby expanding markets and diversifying export products.
In addition to the benefits for economic growth, the economic integration into ASEAN has
helped Viet Nam attract foreign direct investment, creating opportunities for Vietnamese
enterprises to improve their competitiveness. In addition, the positive impacts from the AEC
will contribute to making changes in the development and improvement of domestic poli-
cies, laws, and procedures, more in line with international standards. Being an active mem-
ber of the AEC has accelerated the extensive and comprehensive economic cooperation be-
tween Viet Nam and other countries in the region and the world.

30 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

By participating in ASEAN socio-cultural cooperation, it can learn from other ASEAN Mem-
ber States and partners. Some key cooperation areas include poverty reduction, human
resource development, information technology, management experience, and capacity
building, aiming to effectively handle transnational challenges such as environment, natural
disasters, climate change, and epidemics.

MOVING TOWARDS ASEAN COMMUNITY

VISION 2025
Looking ahead, ASEAN is entering a critical period in the realisation of the ASEAN Community
Vision 2025 and the preparation for the post-2025 Vision. Given the challenges mentioned
above in the community building process, ASEAN needs to uphold solidarity, unity, and mu-
tual assistance, particularly in maintaining its centrality and strategic interests.

First, on the political and security pillar, ASEAN needs to strengthen its centrality as a driving
force in promoting dialogue processes; building trust for peace, security, and stability in the
region; and responding more proactively and effectively to the challenges. ASEAN needs to
make more active contributions to efforts to promote regional and global peace and devel-
opment. In the context of growing tensions among major powers, ASEAN commands the
central role, both geographically and politically, in leveraging the ASEAN Centrality to encour-
age an inclusive, peaceful, and integrated evolution of the Indo-Pacific region (Le 2020). It is
critical to uphold ASEAN Centrality so that each member and ASEAN can act as active part-
ners rather than as pawns in the strategic chessboard of any external force. ASEAN may not
be designed for solving conflicts. However, the association is well-positioned in preventative
diplomacy on contentious issues in the political and security realm. A “track 2” or “track 1.5”
approach may be conducive to exploring innovative solutions where internal and external
factors constrain the government’s actions. An ASEAN Community was first advanced by
scholars in the academia and think tanks and has subsequently embraced by ASEAN’s Lead-
ers (Muthiah 2015).

Second, on the economic pillar, a strong ASEAN Community must rely on closer regional
economic linkages. In particular, ASEAN needs to put more effort into actively promoting
ASEAN’s role in linking sub-regional cooperation with ASEAN’s development process so that
all people and regions have the opportunity to contribute to the ASEAN Community. In ad-
dition, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development is critical to building the ASEAN
Community, especially when Covid-19 and natural disasters are threatening to slow down
the growth of the whole region. Therefore, ASEAN needs to step up measures to support
businesses to restore production, business, jobs, and livelihoods for people, while focusing
its resources and efforts at the highest level on reducing the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic
gradually.

Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges | 31

Third, on the socio-cultural pillar, an ASEAN Community must truly be a people-oriented and
people-centred ASEAN. It is foremost essential to place the people at the centre of the ASE-
AN agenda, cutting across all the three pillars of the ASEAN Community. Facing with the rise
of non-traditional threats to regional peace and stability, it is high time that ASEAN focused
more on human security. In addition, a people-centred ASEAN is more than just creating an
ASEAN identity. It should also be the process of building cohesiveness among people in the
Member States and encouraging people’s participation in the process of community building
in all walks of life. The building of the ASEAN Community must be driven by all citizens, not
only by government officials, politicians, or researchers.

Fourth, a strong ASEAN Community must be built upon higher awareness of the ASEAN
Community and its pillars. It is important for citizens of the Member States to feel that they
belong to the bigger ASEAN family. It is also equally important to facilitate the frequent ex-
changes of ideas among stakeholders on the ASEAN Community building. In a community
with diverse identities, each member state must know how to balance national interests with
the community’s shared interests.

Fifth, to realise the goals of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, it is imperative to further
cultivate a culture of compliance through capacity building and harmonisation of national
legal systems and enhance human and financial resources required for the implementation
and coordination by relevant agencies, especially the ASEAN Secretariat. It is also time that
appropriate actions be taken to update the ASEAN Charter to allow more flexible application
of the principle of consensus, which will not prevent the community from moving forward,
while leaving no member behind. Given the Covid-19 impacts and complicated geopolitical
landscape, ASEAN needs to improve the institutional capacity and effective operation of the
ASEAN apparatus and ASEAN Way to adapt to the new contexts.

CONCLUSION
It is now a challenging time and a critical period for ASEAN in realising the goal of ASEAN
Community 2025 and moving forward in line with the Post-2025 Vision. The Vietnamese
people have a saying: “Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men”. ASEAN will continue
to consolidate its centrality in the regional architecture and its stance as a reliable and sus-
tainable partner to regional and external countries. As ASEAN will turn 55 in 2022 under the
upcoming Cambodia’s Chairmanship, the endurance and relevance of the association will
prove that ASEAN can be more united, more cohesive, more responsive, and more capable
of delivering the benefits to people of the ASEAN Member States.

32 | Cambodia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2022: Priorities and Challenges

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