About ASEAN

History of ASEAN

ASEAN was founded in 1967 by the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. ASEAN first served as a bulwark against communism in the region, but as the Vietnam War wound down and U.S. and British forces moved out, the leaders of ASEAN began to see its potential as a force for economic integration. In 1984, the Sultanate of Brunei became the sixth member. Since then, ASEAN has added Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and the Union of Myanmar.

ASEAN is organized around the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), which sets out its key principles as follows:
"mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all nations; the right of every State to lead its national existence free from external interference, subversion or coercion; non-interference in the internal affairs of one another; settlement of differences or disputes by peaceful manner; renunciation of the threat or use of force; and effective cooperation among themselves".

A number countries have acceded to the TAC in addition to the ten ASEAN nations, most recently the United States in 2009. These principles of non-interference and cooperative dispute resolution have come to be known as the “ASEAN Way”.

ASEAN has been working towards greater regional integration, including the adoption of an official charter in 2008 to set down clearly the rules of the organization, the creation of an ASEAN wide Human Rights Body in 2009, and the planned ASEAN Economic Community slated for 2015. The AEC aim to create a single market economy, which will enable the ASEAN nations to leverage their combined 580 million consumers and $1.5 trillion GDP to compete for FDI and market share with China and India.


Why is ASEAN important to the United States?

ASEAN is the fifth largest trading partner and fifth largest export market for the United States with two-way ASEAN-U.S. trade reaching US$180 billion in 2008. US direct investment in ASEAN reached US$150 billion in 2008. For more US-ASEAN trade and investment data, click here.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

As of 2008, ASEAN boasted a collective GDP of nearly $1.5 Trillion, and a population 600 million people.

ASEAN Versus China and India

• US Exports to ASEAN in 2008: $68.4 Billion
• US Exports to China in 2008: $69.7 Billion
• US Exports to India in 2008: $17.7 Billion
• Population of ASEAN: 560 Million
• Population of China in 2008: 1.3 Billion
• Population of India: 1.2 billon
• The average ASEAN consumer purchases TWICE as many American goods as the average Chinese Consumer!
• The average ASEAN consumer purchases NINE times as many American goods as the average Indian consumer!

Key Statistics

General (2009 Estimates)
GDP	$1.5 trillion
GDP Growth	4.4%
GDP per capita	$5,252
US Exports to ASEAN	$68.4 billion
US Imports from ASEAN	$110.1billion
Population	584 Million

Source: ASEAN Statistics