Southwestern College of Maritime, Business and Technology, Inc.

Quezon Drive, Calero, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro

www.scmbt.edu.ph / [email protected] / [email protected]

SUBJECT: The Contemporary World DATE:

MODULE #: 9 TEACHER: Ms. Judith Mae R. Zamora

I. TOPIC: ASIAN REGIONALISM

II. TARGET LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the student is expected to:
1. Explain what Asian Regionalism is and its purpose.
2. Undermine the rationale behind the creation of such regional organization.
3. Understand the current issues, problems as well as prospects for the future of Asian
Regionalism.
4. Recognize how Asian regionalism affects the world within greater backdrop of
globalization.

IV. MATERIALS NEEDED AND REFERENCES

Lobo, Joliver L. et. al.,The Contemporary World. Barangka Drive, Mandaluyong City:
Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.2019.

Aldama, Prince Kennex R. The Contemporary World.Nicanor Reyes Sr. St., Sampaloc,
Manila:Rex Book Store, Inc.2018

V. GEAR UP YOUR MIND

Regionalism in Asia
The region is home to over half the world’s population, produces three tenths of global
output (in terms of purchasing power), and consistently records the world’s highest economic
growth rates. The Asian “miracle as many would refer to the rapid economic transformation in the
80’s did not end with the 1997-1998 financial crisis; for some countries, it marked the beginning of
renewed acceleration. The question is no longer whether Asia will be central to the 21 st century
economy, but rather how it will exercise its prominent role and how its dependence on the rest of
the world has decreased. Asia’s economies are increasingly connected through trade, financial
transactions, direct investment, technology, labor and tourist flows, and other economic
relationships. The region order that is present in the Asian region is spurred by the fact that there
exist patterns of similarities too great to escape scrutiny. Asia, after all includes some of the world’s
wealthiest economies and some of its poorest, large continental powers as well as small city
states, continuously independent countries and former colonies. Its strength derives from the
openness, diversity, and dynamism of its interconnected economies. The cultural ties anchored
mainly on language and religion is also solid frontiers to argue for greater cooperation on a regional
platform.
The Imperative for Regionalism in Asia
What are the essential advantage and benefits of Regionalism in Asia? The ADB paper on
Emerging Asian Nationalism outlines some of the more integral considerations regarding the need
for regionalism in Asia.

It is held that Asian integration can result in the following:

 1. Generate productivity gains, new ideas, and competition that boost economic growth and
raise incomes across the world.
2. Contribute to the efficiency and stability of global financial markets by making Asian capital
markets stronger and safer and by maximizing the productive use of Asian savings.
3. Diversify sources of global demand, helping to stabilize the world economy and diminish
the risks posed by global imbalances and downturns in other major economies.
4. Provide leadership to help sustain open global trade and financial systems.
5. Create regional mechanisms to manage health, safety, and environmental issues, better
and thus contribute more effective global solutions of these problems.
Asian Regionalism Organizations
ASEAN
Also known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional grouping of nation
states predominantly occupying the South East Asian locale. It can be regarded as a regional
intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries which seeks to promote
intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational and
socio-cultural integration amongst its members and other Asian countries as wells as with the rest
of the world. ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of
the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7
January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia
on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
Aims and Purposes
1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region
through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the
foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations.
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of
law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the
United Nations Charter.
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in
the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields.
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the
educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres.
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilization of their agriculture and industries,
the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity
trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising
of the living standards of their peoples.
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies.
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional
organizations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer
cooperation among themselves.

Fundamental Principles
1. Mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national
identity of all nations.
2. The right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference,
subversion or coercion.
3. Non-interference in the internal affairs of one another.
4. Settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner.
5. Renunciation of the threat or use of force.
6. Effective cooperation among themselves.

Asean Community

ASEAN covers a land area of 4.4 million square kilometres and covers roughly around 3%
of the total land area of Earth. ASEAN territorial waters cover an area about three times larger
than its land counterpart, making it particularly important in terms of sea lanes and fisheries.
Member countries have a combined population of approximately 640 million people, 8.8% of
the world’s population, more than EU28, though in terms of land, a bit smaller. In 2015, the
organization’s combined nominal GDP had grown to more than USD $2.8 trillion. If ASEAN
were a single entity, it would rank as the sixth largest economy in the world behind the United
States, China, Japan, France and Germany ASEAN shares land borders with India, China,
Bangladesh, East Timor and Papua New Guinea, and maritime borders with India, China
Palau, and Australia. Both East Timor and Papua New Guinea are backed by certain ASEAN
members for membership in the organization.

APEC – Asia Pacific Eco

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established

in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC’s 21 members aim
to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive,
sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.
APEC ensures that goods, services, investment and people move easily across borders.

APEC’s 21 member economies are Australia; Brunei Darusalam; Canada; Chile; People’s
Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico;
New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore;
Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Vietnam. APEC operates as a
cooperative, multilateral economic and trade forum. Member economies participate on the
basis of open dialogue and respect for views of all participants. In APEC, all economies have
an equal say and decision-making is reached by consensus.

East Asian Summit (EAS)

The East Asia Summit is a unique Leaders-led forum of 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific
region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity. It has
evolved as a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security and economic
issues of common regional concern and plays an important role in the regional architecture.
Established in 2005, EAS allows the principal layers in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss
issues of common interest and concern, in an open and transparent manner, at the highest
level. The membership of EAS consists of ten ASEAN Member States (i.e. Brunei Darussalam,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and
Vietnam), Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation
and the USA. EAS is an initiative of ASEAN and is based on the premise of the centrality of
ASEAN.

APT ASEAN Plus Three

 ASEAN+3 cooperation began in December 1997 and institutionalized in 1999 when the
Leaders issued a Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation at their Third ASEAN+3 Summit
in Manila. The ASEAN+3 leaders expressed greater resolve and confidence in further
strengthening and deepening East Asia cooperation at various levels and in various areas,
including energy, transport, and information and communications technology (ICT). ASEAN
agreed to strengthen partnership with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of
Korea (Korea) and Japan to address mutual issues and concerns in energy security, natural
gas development, oil market studies, oil stockpiling, and renewable energy.

ASEAN Plus Three (APT) can be considered as a forum that functions as a coordinator of
co-operation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the three East Asia
nations of China, Japan, and South Korea. Government leaders, ministers, and senior officials
from the 10 members of the ASEAN and the three Northeast Asian states consult on an
increasing range of issues. The APT is the latest development of East Asian regional co-
operation (www.asean.org).

Issues and Concerns of Asian Regionalism

First among the criticisms of Asian Regionalism is that they have not played a role in the
major and longstanding regional conflicts, especially those that are holdovers from the Cold
War period, such as the PRC-Taiwan conflict, or those between North and South Korea, and
India and Pakistan. Neither have they mattered in the management of maritime territorial
disputes, such as the Spratly Islands dispute involving China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia,
Philippines, and Brunei. Similarly, territorial disputes between China and Japan over the
Senkaku/Daoyutai islands, or between Korea and Japan over Takeshima/Tokdo islands, have
not been addressed by any of the regional groupings.
A second criticism relates to their future to make use of available instruments of conflict-
prevention and resolution. For example, the ASEAN Regional Forum has not moved beyond
its confidence-building mode to a preventive diplomacy mode, as was clearly envisaged when
it was set up in 1994. ASEAN itself has yet to use its dispute-settlement mechanism to resolve
bilateral territorial disputes, such as that between Cambodia and Thailand over the Preah
Vihear temple, or the Singapore-Malaysia dispute over Pedra Branca/Palau Batuh Putih in the
South China Sea. In the last two cases, the parties have relied instead on the International
Court of Justice.
Third, the failure of regional trust-building, which is supposed to have been brought about
by regional groups like the ASEAN is reflected in the emergence of what seems to be a
significant arms race across the region. China is investing massively in its military, increasing
its defense budget by double-digit percentages year after year, while also building a blue-
water navy. Japan has effectively crossed the 1,000-nautical-mile limit for its naval operational
radius. A naval competition for dominance in the Indian Ocean may be emerging between
India and China. In Southeast Asia, countries like Singapore and Malaysia are engaged in
competitive arms acquisitions.
Fourth, on the economic front, there has been no regional free-trade area under the
auspices of APEC, which was created partly with that objective in mind. Instead, bilateral
trade arrangements have flourished, thereby undercutting the rationale for wider regional
arrangements.
Fifth, while the region is regularly visited by natural calamities, there is no standing
regional humanitarian and disaster assistance mechanism in place, despite periodic attempts
to create one. Transnational threats such as illegal migration, terrorism, and pandemics
 continue to be dealt with on an ad hoc or bilateral basis, without significant multilateral action.
While there have been statements and declarations addressing such challenges – such as the
ASEAN Counterterrorism Convention, the East Asian disease surveillance framework and a
tsunami early warning system – joint action is neither automatic nor assured. There is also no
regional peacekeeping force or even a more-limited stand-by arrangement.
Finally, on human rights and social issues, Asia continues to lag behind other regions,
including Africa and Latin America, not to mention Europe, in developing regional human
rights promotion and protection mechanisms.

NAME OF STUDENT: The Contemporary World

SECTION: MODULE #: 9
VII. LEVEL UP YOUR LEARNING
Quiz: Identify the following items. Write your answer on the space provided.

____________________ 1. A regional grouping of the 10 ASEAN states including the PRC, South
Korea and Japan.
____________________ 2. The latest development of East Asian regional co-operation
____________________ 3. The number of member states in the EAS.
____________________ 4. A regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the
growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific
____________________ 5. The island groupings that the Philippines claims to be a part of its
territorial limits in the West Philippine Sea.
____________________ 6. The year the ASEAN was founded.
____________________ 7. Has effectively crossed the 1,000-nautical-mile limit for its naval
operational radius.
____________________ 8. The place where ASEAN was established.
____________________ 9. The last country to join the ASEAN in 1999.
____________________ 10. The number of member states in the APEC.