Asia

US-ASEAN summit, with a symbolic

Two days to come the government of the United States and the ASEAN in California. They celebrate Unity and good relations. A message to the Region and the world.

Towards the end of his presidency, puts Barack Obama the U.S.-ASEAN summit an exclamation mark behind one of his most important foreign policy projects: the increased commitment of the United States in Asia. All the heads of government of the ten States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are at the two-day summit (15. until 16.01.2016) in southern California’s Nobel-estate Sunnylands expected. The informal Meeting, the good relations between the two sides turn out to be. The US Ambassador to the ASEAN in Jakarta, Nina Hachigian, emphasized ahead of the summit in a speech in early January: “With the new year of 2016, the relationships between the United States and ASEAN is at an all time high.”

“The US-ASEAN summit is the logical consequence of the strategic reorientation of the USA in Asia,” says David Arase, a political scientist at the Hopkins-Nanjing center for China – and America-studies. “The summit contributes to the other of the Central role of ASEAN account of what is shaping the future of Asia.”

Strategic Partners

Shortly after the inauguration of Obama in 2009, called Washington the “return to Asia” (“pivot to Asia”). Obama decided that the President of the U.S. on a regular basis at the East Asia summit (EAS) and participate each year at least one country in the ASEAN should visit. It was important to him to have gone, a permanent framework for contacts to Asia at the level of heads of state or government to create, as it is with Europe, but not with the Middle East and Africa already exists, writes Brian Harding, Director for East and South-East Asia at the Center for American Progress, “The Diplomat”.

The importance of Obama’s increased activity in the Region also emphasizes Moe Thuzar from the Institute of African and Asian studies in Singapore (ISEAS). “Obama was the most active of all American presidents, which makes the visit of countries of the ASEAN. This shows how the USA and ASEAN each other as partners appreciate.”

With the construction of artificial Islands in the South China sea, China has many ASEAN countries provoked

Same Interests

The relations between ASEAN and the United States reached in November 2015
new level. On the ASEAN-US summit in Kuala Lumpur (cover) has agreed a strategic partnership. The adopted comprehensive plan of action 2016-2020″ looks more in-depth cooperation in the areas of
Economy and
Security. Security encompasses both terrorism as well as more in-depth cooperation in terms of the freedom of navigation, by the
Territorial dispute in the South China sea for several years in the focus of attention. Economically, it goes about the implementation of the 2006 negotiated U.S.-ASEAN framework agreement on trade and Investment (U.S.-ASEAN TIFA) or regular informal Meetings of high-level representatives from the business community.

“The interests of ASEAN and the United States fall in the Central questions”, it is the political scientist Arase convinced. Both the USA and the ASEAN on the maintenance of the international order of interest, including conflict resolution by international courts, free trade, and international institutions are included.

Expectations of the ASEAN

In the past few years, there was repeated criticism from the ranks of the ASEAN, that the US involvement in the Region is not more than mere rhetoric. Asia expert Moe Thuzar from ISEAS thinks otherwise. “The US have never really ais in the Region withdrawn,” she says. However, should the increased focus, the both sides are currently in their mutual relations, be directed to be used in areas such as counter-terrorism, but also in the fight against epidemics and Flüchtlingsleid, when climate and environmental protection and last but not least, economic and trade cooperation.

The summit takes place on the mundane Sunnylands estate in California

United States working closely with ASEAN together

On various occasions, was also from the USA criticism have been expressed that the ASEAN as a Confederation of States, non-interference in the politics of the individual member States and consensus in the decision-making while upholding only a debating society without political power. Arase occurs this perception: “The USA understand that the ASEAN is a Confederation of States from very different member States, the emphasis on sovereignty and autonomy. At the same time the US supports the ASEAN as the guarantors of peace and stability in the Region.“

The summit will send a clear message to the Region, but also to neighbors such as China or Japan. “The commitment of the United States is permanent and reaches a higher level. It does so to the diplomatic initiatives of China and Japan with ASEAN.” This Situationn is equivalent to the foreign-policy Maxim, on which the Confederation of States a few years after its founding in 1967, agreed: it sees itself as an independent Confederation of States, the same distance to all other external stakeholders in the Region such as China or the USA – as far as possible.