Asean countries political and economic conditions

CHAPTER 4

ASEAN countries political & economic conditions

Political conditions in ASEAN

With a combined population of 500 million people, ASEAN is seen by potential investors as an unexplored piece of land that is suited for their internationalization strategy.

To capitalise on its construction throughout the years in the application of political and security cooperation, the ASEAN Leaders have come to a consensus in establishing the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC). The APSC seeks to enforce that member countries in ASEAN live in harmony.

The members of the Community vowed to undertake peaceful procedures when settling of intra-regional diversities and look upon their security as indubitably associated to one another and is connected by geographic boundaries, common understandings and goals. It comprises of the following constituent: political nurturing; molding and exchanging of standards; dissent avoidance; conflict resolving; post-conflict goodwill building; and enforcing apparatus.

The APSC Blueprint was approve during the 14th ASEAN Summit on 1st March 2009 in Cha-am/Hua Hin, Thailand.

Economic conditions in ASEAN

ASEAN have a combined GDP that transcends $1 trillion, it is the 11th largest in the world, ahead of India & Russia.

Trade figures among ASEAN, China, Korea, and Japan magnified 16% from US$ 273.1 billion in 2004 to US$ 317.0 billion in 2005. Leaders of ASEAN have stressed the necessity of facilitating regional economic consolidation as a way to advocate trade and investment flows. Intra-ASEAN trade escalated from US$ 181 billion to US$543.37 billion in 2008. This represents a constant yearly growth of 18.6%. The figures are inspiring, and should provide insight of the immense potential that could be present in the region.

ASEAN stance on terrorism

ASEAN states in order to counter terrorism have agreed to reinforce efforts. Member states have pledged to push for the execution of a regional counter-terrorism alliance.

The pact, is to be adopted by ASEAN leaders at the end of an annual summit on 29th Nov 2009. The pact will promote successful execution of a detailed plan of action to fight terrorism together.

Southeast Asia is the stronghold for Jemaah Islamiyah, the militant network atrributed for a series of assults. They have claimed responsibility for the 2002 Bali bombings that took more than 200 lives -- many were foreign tourists. Muslim separatist insurgencies are now being waged in southern Thailand and in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao.

The counter-terror agenda is mapped in a blueprint which will be adopted by ASEAN leaders. The convention was acknowledged in January 2007. It provides a masterplan for regional cooperation to oppose, restrict and annihilate terrorism. It calls for the interchange of information as well as the prohibition of any one ASEAN member to plan, finance or collaborate attacks on another.

The blueprint also consist of ASEAN's commitment to oppose corruption, repel against maritime piracy and develop an “early warning apparatus to avert the escalation of conflicts”.

Currently, Thailand is encumbered in a territorial disagreement with Cambodia. Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines have conflicting claims on the Spratlys island in the South China Sea together with China and Taiwan.

Intellectual property protection in ASEAN

ASEAN signed a financing agreement with the European commission in Bangkok 21st,October 2009. The objective of the agreement is to facilitate capacity building towards a fortified intellectual property rights (IPR) regime.

The aims of the initiative are to reinforce regional integration by building institutional capacity as well as legislative and bureaucratic guidelines to enhance protection of IPRs in the region. The initiative also seeks to implement rules in order to protect IPRs from exploitataion such as counterfeiting and piracy.

Adoption of this scheme will aid the integration of the region into the global economy which will be in sync with the commitments made by ASEAN under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of IPR.

The EUR programme will be adopted by the European Patent Office over a period of 4 years. It puts together the results and lessons of 2 earlier programmes in rising up to the challenges of further regional resonance and long term capacity building matters with relation to IP in ASEAN.

The programme will be facilitated by a project team based in Bangkok and hosted by the Thai Department of Intellectual Property under its Ministry of Commerce.