We hold occasional policy briefings where high-level speakers provide insight and analysis.

Attendees include EIAS members and other interested parties.

Experts wishing to discuss a possible topic for a Special Briefing are invited to contact EIAS Direct Dr Willem van der Geest.

New Challenges Facing ASEAN: Singapore's Viewpoint
29 January 2003

Speaker:
Professor S. Jayakumar, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law of Singapore, addressed a breakfast policy briefing jointly organised by the European Policy Centre and the European Institute for Asian Studies.

This is not an official record of the proceedings, and specific remarks are not necessarily attributable.

There are “strong reasons” for closer ties between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said Professor S. Jayakumar, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law of Singapore. The Minister said he felt “heartened” after two days of meetings with EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, sensing a sense of renewed interest in Southeast Asia.

He said he would return to Singapore encouraged and optimistic that the relationship between the two sides would move forward and meet the challenges posed within a changing context.

In examining the challenges facing ASEAN, the Minister said he also thought about the challenges facing the ASEAN-EU relationship. Putting himself in the shoes of a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) or an EU Foreign Minister, the Minister asked himself, “Why should I pay attention to Southeast Asia?”

Should one conclude that if ASEAN appears on one’s radar screen, should it be a big blip or a small blip? The EU already had plenty on its plate such as eastward expansion and relations with the United States, so why should it pay attention to Asia, and Southeast Asia and ASEAN in particular?

Forming closer EU/ASEAN ties was a two-way street. For its part, ASEAN had to focus on getting its act together and forging competitive advantages for “European friends.” The Minister outlined two “very strong reasons” the ASEAN/EU relationship was important: economic cooperation and security and strategic imperatives.

The 10 member countries of ASEAN combined had a potential market of 500 million people. This was a “major factor” that Europe should take into account. There were also a number of positive trends in the region, such as China entering into negotiations to forge a free trade agreement (FTA) with ASEAN. Japan, Korea and India had also expressed interest in economic partnership agreements.

In addition, President George W Bush had recently announced the Enterprise for ASEAN initiative, offering the prospect of bilateral FTAs between the US and ASEAN countries committed to economic reform and openness. All of these developments showed that countries or regions were positioning themselves to relate to ASEAN. Europe should also be a part of this process.....

To read on: Download the full report (pdf)