The Centrality of ASEAN

The principle that sees Southeast Asian countries as the engine of the regional architecture is now widely accepted, writes Rahman Yaacob for the Lowy Institute

ASEAN is proposed as Southeast Asia's main platform for addressing regional challenges and confronting external powers. As several studies point out, the "centrality of ASEAN" is based on the assumption that the Southeast Asian regional organization should be the engine of the "evolving regional architecture of the Asia-Pacific."

At the beginning of the 21st century, ASEAN grew from its original five members to 10, adding Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. This created the need for ASEAN to establish a new framework for intra-ASEAN relations and for ASEAN's relations with the world. The 2008 ASEAN Charter marked the first occasion when the term "ASEAN centrality" was used. The Charter explained that ASEAN should be the main driving force of members in relations with external partners.

In a White House statement following the visit of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris to Jakarta to attend the ASEAN 2023 Summit, the term "ASEAN centrality" was used twice, with Washington declaring its commitment to this principle. The Americans were not alone. For several years, it has been customary for ASEAN partners, such as the European Union, to declare their support for ASEAN centrality.

On the surface, this suggests that the concept of ASEAN centrality has been accepted by the major and middle powers. Moreover, ASEAN's plethora of initiatives to engage outside powers, such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, are evidence of ASEAN's convening power to help shape the regional order.

For ASEAN's centrality to function optimally, its members must be united and serve each other's interests. However, ASEAN's unity is highly improvable and upgradable to meet not only economic and trade but also diplomatic and political challenges in a unified manner.

ASEAN knows its limitations and the need for reform. In January, ASEAN convened a Track 2 workshop with the participation of Southeast Asian researchers to review its norms and practices. The goal was to maintain ASEAN's relevance in a changing regional security environment. However, any reform of ASEAN's practices and norms will be a long process. In the meantime, ASEAN can view the many statements of support for ASEAN's centrality as an excellent achievement.