The 47th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is opening on October 26 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. What trends are currently defining the activities of this major international organization in the region?

Pivotal in the System of Regional Ties

Furthermore, the Association has built an entire system of dialogue partnerships with the leading centres of power in the modern world, including both individual states (Russia, the US, China, the Republic of Korea, and others) and multilateral associations and forums. The latter comprise, for instance, ASEAN’s contacts with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and meetings in the ASEAN 3 format (with the Asian “trio” – China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea).

The establishment of regular ties between ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should particularly be highlighted. If in the past decade the contacts could predominantly be described as rather introductory, now, in fact, they constitute a regular exchange of stances on key regional issues in East, Southeast, and Central Asia.

There is a truly wide spectrum of potential opportunities for interaction between these two international structures, ranging from the possibility of joint economic, social, and cultural initiatives to ideas for developing financial ties, taking into account the far-reaching prospects of the SCO Bank in the modern global financial landscape.

Moreover, many ASEAN member states are also participants or partners of the BRICS association. And this constitutes another direction for building reciprocally beneficial interregional dialogue. It can be institutionalized or operate in an open format, considering the expanded........

© New Eastern Outlook