On the occasion of ASEAN’s 54th founding anniversary (August 8th 1967 – August 8th 2021), Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son wrote an article titled “ASEAN’s 54 years: Fire tests gold”. 

Bui Thanh Son - Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs

The following is translation of the article for reference:

August 8th 1967 marks the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – one of the world’s important and successful regional organization for cooperation. This set off a process of in-depth integration; construction and maintenance of peace, stability and development in South East Asia, as well as throughout the region.  

From a group of South East Asian countries divided by war, ASEAN has overcome numerous obstacles to become a regional organization of 10 member states operating in a common framework. ASEAN is now a common home that bonds 650 million people with diverse cultural identities; an economic community with its combined GDP ranking 5th globally; a reliable and important partner of many countries; playing a central role in the region’s important dialogue, cooperation and connectivity processes. 

Affirming capability, bringing into play ASEAN’s role through challenges

Withstanding many ups and downs along with the world’s multiple changes in the past 54 years, the role and capability of ASEAN have continuously been solidified and refined. Overcoming challenges and difficulties, ASEAN is becoming increasingly complete and vigorous. The establishment of the ASEAN Community with 3 pillars (political-security; economic; and socio-cultural) is a vivid example of ASEAN’s vitality; it raises the processes of regional connectivity to a new level for the sake of peace, stability and common prosperity. 

Based on the fundamental principles of international law, solidarity, consensus and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, the “ASEAN Way” is always preserved, fostered and promoted, creating ASEAN’s values and identity. Solidarity, consensus and unity in diversity have bounded the ASEAN member states together in the course of attaining the common goal of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Southeast Asia. While non-interference, respect for independence, sovereignty and the rights to self-determination are the common standards that regulate the conducts of member states, they are also harmoniously linked with a sense of responsibility, consideration for the community, as well as sharing and mutual support in difficult circumstances. Even though resources are limited, ASEAN countries have joined hands to assist one another in overcoming the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and this shall forever symbolize the ASEAN spirit of solidarity and unity. 

After many challenges and changes in the global landscape, solidarity, unity and the ASEAN’s central role continue to be increasingly fostered and consolidated. It is precisely the “ASEAN Way”, solidarity and unity that have helped ASEAN member states to overcome turbulent periods of the region and of the world. The more hardship and turbulence ASEAN faces, the more ASEAN matures. And it is through these tough times that more even more prominence is given to the ASEAN’s spirit of solidarity and unity. “ASEAN Way” and identity also stand out even more in light of these difficulties. 

Reality has shown that ASEAN can only affirm its prestige, status and central role when the ASEAN Way and identity are firmly upheld and brought into play. This is also essential so that ASEAN can further expand and deepen relations with its partners, thereby taking advantage of the international support and assistance for the promotion of ASEAN’s development and connectivity. Up until now, ASEAN has set up dialogue partnerships with 11 important countries and organizations (China, the U.S, Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the EU …). Among them, the UK has recently been granted the Dialogue Partner status at the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, held virtually from August 2nd to August 8th, 2021. Many of ASEAN’s standpoints and regulations such as the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) have been welcomed by ASEAN’s partners and the international community at large, thereby promoting cooperation and relations with the Association. 

Staying faithful to its purpose and operating principles, ASEAN has properly, fully and appropriately played its role in promoting dialogue, cooperation, and trust-building between countries within and outside the region in order to maintain regional peace and stability. On the basis of upholding international law and settlement of disputes and differences through peaceful measures in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ASEAN has made important contributions to the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment in the East Sea, thereby gaining support from the international community. 

Promoting economic integration and connectivity has been a central task in the ASEAN integration process for more than five decades. To date, intra-bloc trade has accounted for about 25 percent of the total trade volume of the whole bloc. The effective implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community is pushing the association closer towards a united market with a scale of nearly 3 trillion USD, and a free flow of goods, services, investments and skilled labor. 

Aside from that, ASEAN is also the center of an expanded economic space with a network of eight free trade agreements (FTA), including the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and seven FTAs with important partners. Among them, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) creates a free trade area accounting for 30 percent of the world’s population and 32 percent of the global GDP.

Having been through 54 years of formation and development, ASEAN can take pride in being a successful model for regional connectivity. The bloc’s achievements should be highly appreciated; as they provide the basis for an optimistic faith in ASEAN’s future potential to develop for peace, stability, people-centrism, respect for the law and common prosperity.  

Vietnam makes every effort for a united, strong and developed ASEAN Community

In the course of reform, ASEAN has always held an important position in iet Nam’s foreign policy and international integration process. ASEAN is precisely the gateway that brings Viet Nam into larger regional and global "playing fields". Joining ASEAN is a decision of strategic importance of our Party and State, which contributes to the creation of our country’s new development landscape, consolidates a peaceful and stable environment, and utilizes of external resources for development and the enhancement of our country’s status.

Having consistently pursued a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification [of external relations] while respecting the principles, manner and identity of ASEAN, Viet Nam has seriously fulfilled the commitments and obligations of a member state. Viet Nam has made many important contributions to strengthen solidarity, to actualize the idea of ASEAN with 10 member states, to build the ASEAN Community and to implement  the ASEAN Vision 2025.

Viet Nam has performed the role of the ASEAN Chair three times, all of which were in challenging periods of time for the Asociation. In the 2000-2001 period, ASEAN  entered a transitional period in the process of building the Community after experiencing the Asian Financial Crisis in the 1997-1998 period. In 2010, the Association concretized its Community Vision while the world and the region were bearing the severe impact 2008-2009 global financial crisis. In 2020, the building of the ASEAN Community was promoted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic’s global outbreaks, and the complicated developments in the world situation. 

Being proactive and responsible while persistently upholding ASEAN principles as the motto, Viet Nam has joined hands with other member states to sail the ASEAN ship through storms, actively adapting and responding to the new situation, firmly maintaining the momentum of regional cooperation and connectivity, affirming ASEAN’s central role and enhancing the Association’s status. Many initiatives put forward in 2020 have become ASEAN’s common property, such as the COVID-19 ASEAN Respond Fund, the ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, or the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework… 

In pursuit of the foreign policy laid out by the 13th National Party Congress - especially with the country’s new status after 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Reform), Viet Nam continues to work with other ASEAN members to build a united and strong Community, firmly maintaining ASEAN’s central role in the regional security architecture. In the new context, innovation with regards to participation in ASEAN needs to be stepped up, so that member states could better bring into play ASEAN’s role, identity and strengths, thereby benefiting all ASEAN members, as well as the Association’s partners within and outside the region. 

With a proactive, reliable and responsible way of thinking, Viet Nam shall join efforts with other member states to effectively implement initiatives and cooperation agreements, making substantive contributions to solve common problems of ASEAN, and of the region. 

From that perspective, it is essential that coordination between ministries, branches, localities and businesses be stepped up when it comes to ASEAN cooperation. Special attention needs to be paid to training and raising the capabilities of diplomat, so that a system of professional and modern multilateral diplomatic cadres can be built. Sufficient resources need to be allocated for the hosting and construction of centers closely tied to ASEAN’s substantive interests in Viet Nam. Policies to increase the number of Vietnamese cadres working in ASEAN bodies need to be formulated. 

The way ahead may be tough, but with the promotion of the ASEAN Way as well as its identity and values, along with the determination and the great development potential of member countries, ASEAN shall continue to write new chapters of success in building a united, strong and self-reliant Community, bringing about benefits to all of its member countries while making important contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity. Viet Nam shall continue to spare no efforts, together with ASEAN, to successfully actualize this noble goal./.