According to press reports, the foreign ministers of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc have approved Burma’s request for the 2014 chairmanship. The approval comes after a series of reforms from the quasi-civilian government in Naypyidaw, such as the release of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the amnesty of some political prisoners, and modest reforms to the political system. The steps that the Burmese government has taken are certainly very welcome. It could be that these reforms are real and not …
Philippine President Beningo Aquino III and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who just returned from a week of high-level dialogues at the U.N. headquarters in New York, met in Tokyo September 27 to discuss how they can strengthen their strategic partnership. Noda and Aquino’s dialogue focused on bolstering their maritime cooperation—specifically, securing freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. At a joint press conference Tuesday evening, Noda expressed a strong desire “to work together in ensuring stability and prosperity in the region” and called attention to the fact that …
While in New York for the formal launch of the Open Government Partnership, a multilateral initiative aimed at bolstering transparency and eliminating corruption, President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines delivered a simple message to President Obama: Come visit the Philippines. Indeed, throughout this trip, President Aquino has extolled the U.S. and praised its treaty alliance with the Philippines. During a speech at the Asia Society on Monday, Aquino expressed support for a stronger U.S. role in Southeast Asia, stating that “the Philippines welcomes America’s active re-engagement across Asia by strengthening …
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, on July 22 to participate in Asia’s largest security conference. This past week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) and the 43rd ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers Meeting was filled with diplomatic discussions on how to create a safer and more economically efficient East Asian community. At the ASEAN Plus and ARF dialogues, Clinton participated in several discussions, including ones on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, their recent attack on a South Korean Naval Ship, Burma’s upcoming political elections and …
Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, current Chairman of ASEAN, has returned from the G-20 summit in Toronto, just in time to host the upcoming 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. Dung has proven himself to be more of an active leader than prior ASEAN chairmen. This past year has been marked by a push for new projects such as the ASEAN Customs National Single Window Initiative, TPP agreements, and a call to meet the goal for regional integration by 2015. At the end …
