ASEAN Economic Co‑operation: Running in Circles or New Directions?

Abstract

The year 1987 may well become a turning point in the history of ASEAN economic co operation. The first ASEAN summit in twelve years is scheduled to be held in Manila in December 1987. On the agenda will be proposals for schemes to liberalize intra-ASE AN trade and, in general, to put economic co-operation on the same route to success that has been achieved in the political sphere. Much activity took place in 1986 in preparation for the bold new steps many hope to see taken at the end of 1987. There were appeals to generate the political will for more intensive economic co-operation; there were conferences to discuss concrete proposals for liberalizing intra-ASEAN trade; and preparatory discussions were held at various levels to feed input from official ASEAN institutions as well as the private sector into the forthcoming summit meeting. However, it would be wrong to view ASEAN economic co-operation in 1986 only in the light of the new steps that may be taken at some future date. The everyday process of economic co-operation in the form of meetings, discussions, decisions, and project implementation continued in 1986, with some significant progress being made in various areas.