The rise of an assertive China and a decline in American global leadership has challenged the rules-based international order in the Asia Pacific that ASEAN has grown accustomed to and prospered under. The global and regional norms as well as security and economic institutions have been under stress, as illustrated by ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the protracted trade war between the US and China.
Here are some of the key recommendation from the ASEAN-ISIS Mid-Term Report to address what ASEAN countries can do amid the fraying international order. The report looks at how ASEAN has fared in meeting its 2025 Vision. It was directed by the SIIA as chair of the ASEAN-ISIS network (an association of think tanks within Southeast Asia that is affiliated with ASEAN), for the year 2020 and is supported by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Foundation.
