Thailand’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura is confident the bloc of Southeast Asian nations can play a “formidable role” in global politics and international affairs.

“We’re living in a very fast-paced, fast-changing geopolitical architecture. Asean has to be dynamic and adaptable to all these changes,” he told FMT in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the recent Asean foreign ministers retreat in Langkawi.

Balankura pointed to Asean’s success in many areas, including in putting together the Asean Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

“I think the international community applauds Asean for (the AOIP). We have come up with our own initiatives that are complementary to the superpowers, while not challenging anyone,” he said.

In 2019, Asean adopted the Indo-Pacific concept, originally promoted by Washington, and tailored it to fit regional needs. The endeavour resulted in the birth of the AOIP which emphasises Asean centrality and inclusivity. Three years later, Asean inked a partnership with India, recognising it as a strategic powerhouse in the region.

“That’s how I see Asean’s formidable role in the international architecture. Looking ahead, Asean has to be more pronounced in its endeavours and more noticeable to international superpowers.”

Philippines’ foreign secretary Enrique Manalo spoke of the need for unity and regional adaptability, noting that Asean’s dynamism is critical to maintaining and promoting peace and stability.

Manalo told FMT developments in diverse areas, including in artificial intelligence, are where “Asean has the potential to be a force, not only in terms of our regional situation, but even globally.”

Need for reinvention

Member countries cooperate on a variety of matters under Asean, but the bloc has come under fire for delivering slow progress amidst evolving challenges and opportunities.

Senior Fellow Tang Siew Mun at ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute said Asean is long due for a “makeover”.

“The foundations that Asean operates on today are based on principles laid out in the Declaration of Bangkok in 1967. Is Asean still fit for purpose?

“Asean is still relevant, and more so in the face of multifaceted and increasingly complex regional and global challenges. However, it is imperative that Asean has the toolset to drive its community-building in the twenty-first century,” he said.

Tang said Putrajaya must “flesh out and put meat to bones on what that entails” if it is serious about ushering in Asean’s “second renaissance”.

Universiti Malaya adjunct professor Johan Saravanamuttu called for Asean to give particular attention to its political-security community.

“In this very, very trying period of geopolitics, we need to enhance and strengthen those institutional mechanisms within Asean for peaceful resolution and management of conflict,” he said.

Manalo disputed the need for the regional bloc to reinvent itself but agreed it must adapt to new challenges.

“I don’t know if it needs to reinvent itself, but Asean should certainly see how we can be responsive to the developments that we now face, which were issues or situations that did not exist 20 years ago,” he said.

Collateral damage

One of those developments is the return of the Trump administration and its vow to take a tougher stance on China, the US’s rival for global power and prosperity. Asean members must explore ways to keep those tensions from spilling over and destabilising the region.

Asean secretary-general  Kao Kim Hourn said the bloc was actively working with the US on a new plan for 2026-2030. He said Asean will also continue to build bridges between all Indo-Pacific nations to maintain peace and stability.

“Asean’s ability to convene countries and undertake dialogue to sort differences is something that we should never overlook. The way we engage with our partners with transparency and openness has built a lot of trust,” he said.

RSIS research fellow Joel Ng cautioned that dialogue has its limitations.

“Asean’s platform will not be useful if the only utility external partners (including the US and China) find from our platform is to trade insults or spar with each other.”

Ng said that Asean must reinforce its leadership and ensure that external interests do not cloud the bloc’s own agenda.

“We could also do more to work on ourselves right now,” said Ng, emphasising the need for unity and integration. “The more that the rest of the world destabilises, the more we need each other,” he said.

“Asean has a very large market. So if Asean has a very strong, robust, diverse economy, our leadership in the Indo-Pacific is going to grow just by default, because people are going to want to do business with Asean. They’re going to want to set up headquarters here. They’re going to want to enjoy that stability that we have.

“We need to keep working on our integration with each other, and I think that’s a good antidote to the other dynamics around the world that we may not have any control over.”