The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN for short, is a regional alliance focused on fostering economic and security collaboration among its ten member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. As of 2023, the total population of ASEAN nations stands at 677 million, making it the third most populous area in the world, with a combined GDP of $3.8 trillion. This group has been pivotal in driving economic integration across Asia, participating in negotiations to establish the world’s largest free trade agreement and signing six free trade agreements with other regional economies.
Yet experts say ASEAN’s impact is limited by a lack of strategic vision, diverging priorities among member states, and weak leadership. The bloc’s biggest challenges, they say, are developing a unified approach to China, particularly in response to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, and responding to Myanmar’s civil war.