Golden opportunity for the US and ASEAN

(Baonghean) - On February 16, the US-ASEAN Summit held in the US entered its second and final working day. What common and individual benefits will the US and ASEAN gain through this "golden" meeting opportunity?

An unprecedented conference

As the first important international conference of ASEAN in 2016, the meeting took place not long after the East Asia Summit in November 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Within the framework of that conference, US President B. Obama also had a summit meeting with the leaders of 10 ASEAN countries. Here, the US-ASEAN relationship was elevated to the level of strategic partnership. In this meeting in California, the leaders are expected to discuss ways to bring cooperation into a more substantial and specific manner.

President Barack Obama arrives in California to attend the US-ASEAN Summit.

In addition, this Summit takes place in the context of the US being bustling with presidential election campaigns and the term of current President B. Obama is only a matter of months. According to analysts, the US-ASEAN Summit will be both highly symbolic and of strategic significance in the future relationship between the two entities.

The Star newspaper quoted many Washington and ASEAN officials as saying that the leaders participating in the discussion “can raise any issue that is important to them.” Despite their different concerns, both the US and ASEAN showed that they need each other more than ever.

Opportunity for both sides

In recent years, China's growing military power and economic influence have forced Washington to pay more attention to consolidating its influence in areas where the United States has long-term economic interests.

American businesses invested about 226 billion USD in Southeast Asia, while two-way trade turnover reached 254 billion USD in 2015. In the future, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, which the US and four ASEAN members participate in, will open up many opportunities for US cooperation with the region. Therefore, in its strategy of “rebalancing” and “pivoting” to Asia, Washington is very interested in Southeast Asian issues, including the complicated developments in the East Sea.

Previously, the US often stopped at criticizing China's illegal actions in the East Sea, calling on relevant parties to cooperate in resolving disputes according to international law. Recently, Washington has begun to take concrete actions such as sending warships close to artificial islands illegally built by China, realizing commitments to support the enhancement of maritime security capacity... Many observers believe that President Obama will use this summit to promote the promulgation of a legally binding set of rules for actions in the East Sea.

After officially becoming a common community on November 22, 2015, ASEAN has increasingly affirmed its importance as a unified entity. Photo: Reuters

Looking back over the past eight years, it is easy to see that President Obama has brought US-ASEAN relations to unprecedented heights. One of the evidences of Obama’s commitment to the region is demonstrated by the appointment of a dedicated ASEAN ambassador in 2010 and his visits to a series of countries in the region.

With the initiative to hold this US-ASEAN summit, President Obama seems to want to create a final “push” in his effort to “pull” Southeast Asia closer. The summit will also be an appropriate time for Mr. Obama to remind his successor about the importance of ASEAN and an action plan for the coming time.

For ASEAN, the meeting is an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the bloc as ASEAN is increasingly becoming an important entity in regional and international issues. Once it has become a common Community, ASEAN not only aims to strengthen internal cohesion but also needs to create close links and cooperation with external partners, of which the US is one of the important partners.

Thanh Huyen