ASEAN Summit

 

The ASEAN Summit is an annual meeting held by the member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation in relation to economic, and cultural development of Southeast Asian countries.^[2]
The league of ASEAN is currently connected with other countries who aimed to participate on the missions and visions of the league. Apparently, the league is conducting an annual meetings with other countries in an organization collectively known as the ASEAN dialogue partners. ASEAN +3 adds China, Japan and South Korea. The formal summit are held in three days. The usual itinerary are as follows:

• ASEAN leaders hold an internal organization meeting.
• ASEAN leaders hold a conference together with foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum.
• Leaders of 3 ASEAN Dialogue Partners (also known as ASEAN+3) namely China, Japan and South Korea hold a meeting with the ASEAN leaders.
• And a separate meeting is set for leaders of 2 ASEAN Dialogue Partners (also known as ASEAN+CER) namely Australia and New Zealand.

History

The First ASEAN summit was held in February 1976 in Bali.^[3] At this summit, ASEAN expressed its readiness to "develop fruitful relations" and mutually beneficial co-operation with other countries of the region.^[4] The ASEAN leaders signed the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
On 2nd ASEAN summit held on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1977 was the occasion for the first summit meeting between Japan and ASEAN. Japan expressed its intention to promote co-operation with ASEAN.^[5]
On 9th ASEAN Summit; A meeting on October 7, 2003 on Bali, Indonesia. The leaders of the members nations signed a declaration known as the Bali Concord II in which they agreed to pursue closer economic integration by 2020.
According to the declaration, "an ASEAN Community" would be set upon three pillars, "namely political and security cooperation, economic cooperation, and socio-cultural cooperation; For the purpose of ensuring durable peace, stability and shared prosperity in the region." The plan envisaged a region with a population of 500 million and annual trade of US$720 billion. Also, a free trade area would be established in the region by 2020. ASEAN's leaders also discussed setting up a security community alongside the economic one, though without any formal military alliance.
During the same meeting, the People's Republic of China and ASEAN have also agreed to work faster toward a mutual trade agreement, which will create the world's most populous market, with 1.7 billion consumers. Japan also signed an agreement pledging to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers with ASEAN members.
On the 11th ASEAN summit last December 12–14, 2005 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Seven main issues were discussed during the Summit. The issues are:

• the spread of bird flu
• southern Thailand conflict
• democracy in Myanmar
• crude oil prices fluctuation and poverty
• investment and trade
• ASEAN Charter

Immediately after the summit ended, the inaugural East Asia Summit was held.
The 12th ASEAN Summit was originally set to be hosted on Cebu island in the Philippines from December 10 to 14. However on December 8, organizers decided to move the summit schedule to January 12–15, 2007 due to Typhoon Seniang. Cebu Metropolitan Area (composed of Cebu City, Mandaue City, Talisay City, and Lapu-Lapu City) jointly hosted varied events of the summit. The actual conference was held at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City while the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Lapu-Lapu City provided accommodations for delegates and venues for smaller meetings.
At the 12th ASEAN Summit, the member countries of ASEAN signed five agreements pertaining to continuing integration of ASEAN and enhancing political, economic and social cooperation in the region:^[6]

• Cebu Declaration Towards a Caring and Sharing Community.
• Cebu Declaration on the Blueprint for the ASEAN Charter.
• Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
• ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers.
• ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism.

The 13th ASEAN Summit was held from November 18–22, 2007, in Singapore. The theme was "One ASEAN at the Heart of Dynamic Asia".
The key theme of the discussions was set to be on "Energy, Environment, Climate Change and Sustainable Development". In line with the theme, the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on Environmental Sustainability was signed at the 13th ASEAN Summit and a proposal to work on a Singapore Declaration on the Environment was issued at the 3rd East Asia Summit.
The leaders had endorsed the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint which will help chart concrete targets for establishing a single market and production base in the ASEAN region by 2015.
The summit marking the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-EU ties was held on November 22.
Other documents that had be negotiated and signed:

• ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement on Architectural Services.
• ASEAN Framework Arrangement for the Mutual Recognition of Surveying Qualifications.
• Protocol to Implement the Sixth Package of Commitments under the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services.
• Agreements on trade and areas of cooperation with ASEAN Dialogue Partners.

The 15th Asean Summit was held from October 23–25, 2009 in Hua Hin, Cha Am, Thailand.^[7] It involved the Leaders from Asean league of Nations together with their dialogue partners from People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
A flurry of meetings among Asian leaders on the last day raised the possibility of forging a regional free trade pact, which is likely to be raised at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2009.