When it was first founded on August 8, 1967, ASEAN grouped only five countries in the region namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
The past 50 years has witnessed its growth into a strong community of 10 countries committing to build one shared identity, one shared vision.
Facing challenges of an immense diversity in languages, religions, cultures and economic development, ASEAN member states still stay and work hard together to emerge as a whole in the global market.
ASEAN is the 6th largest economy in the world with its annual GDP of nearly US$3,000 and growth rate of 4.7% per year.
With the combined population of 630 million people, ASEAN is one of the most active and largest markets, covering almost 9% of the world.
“Undergoing upheavals in history, beyond initial expectations, ASEAN not only turned the Southeast Asia from confrontation to dialogue, from suspicion to cooperation, from separation to unity, but also climaxed with the formation of the ASEAN Community”, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc proudly announced in his speech on the occasion of ASEAN’s 50th anniversary.
The establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015 marked an important milestone in the evolution of ASEAN and its people. Photo: Internet
The establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015 marked an important milestone in the evolution of ASEAN and its people.
It showed the determination and commitment of ASEAN member states to realize the theme of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
Though the ASEAN Community presents a wide range of opportunities, the member countries still face tough challenges. ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on 50 years of ASEAN has identified major concerns of the region, one of which are maritime-related issues.
Once again, ASEAN has made progress to address this challenge together. After four years of negotiations, ASEAN finally held hands with China to adopt the draft framework for the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) on 5 August.
It will be the first step to build a legalized COC for the maintenance and promotion of peace, security and stability in the region.
As an active member of ASEAN, Viet Nam has contributed proactively to the development of the association through a variety of initiatives. Viet Nam joined greatly in the efforts to build the ASEAN Community through its different proposals such as the Hanoi Plan of Action 2010. Since the ASEAN Community set out its targets, Viet Nam has pioneered to achieve 95% of them.
In its 22 years of membership, Viet Nam has taken various initiatives such as expanding membership of the East Asia Summit by adopting Russia and the United States in ASEAN-10 in 2010, deepening relations between ASEAN and key partners such as China and India, and promoting the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea.
Amidst the complicated developments in the region and the world, ASEAN faces great opportunities and challenges to realize its goals of the ASEAN Community Vision by 2025 towards a community which is rules-based, people-oriented, and people-centered. In order to achieve that, “Unity is a critical element for the survival of the ASEAN Community”, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh reaffirmed.
And “Viet Nam is committed to staying together with other ASEAN member states to build a united ASEAN Community”, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc pledged.
