Analysing the Feasibility of Establishing an Integrated Maritime Policy Amongst ASEAN Members

Abstract

The Asia-Pacific region is vast, with diverse cultures and political systems, yet all countries are connected by the common resource, the seas. Through limited, shallow regionalization, and globalization in general, the sea links are becoming stronger and the exploitation of the seas is rising, forcing the sovereign states to cooperate in even more fields, from transport, to natural disaster early warning systems, to security, to fisheries. Whilst these individual areas are seeing a growth in cooperation agreements, the ASEAN region has yet to follow the European Union in establishing an integrated maritime policy that brings all industries that use the seas and oceans under one umbrella. The EU’s integrated policy encompasses transport, energy, fishing, tourism, and trade with a view to forging the sustainable use of the seas. This paper looks at the main reasons why ASEAN and its plus members are unlikely to establish an integrated maritime policy, namely the various territorial disputes across the region and the unwillingness to cede sovereignty that such an integrated policy demands. As such, this paper assumes that an integrated maritime policy in Asia is required, but alas is infeasible with the ASEAN Way.