Charter-Guided ASEAN Regionalism in Retrospect and Prospect

Abstract

In the summer of 2007, ASEAN has been staged for 40 years. During the past 10 years, ASEAN cooperation has advanced from vague political statements to some concrete agreements and policy blueprints. Based on the logic of responsive regionalism, ASEAN cooperation has worked out plenty of integration initiatives and collective schemes to effectively respond to economic and political globalization. Moreover, its member states began to push for further ”internal construction” as the realization of regional community which clearly guided ASEAN integration in the post-financial crisis era.\nOn November 20th of 2007, the ASEAN Charter has been signed by leaders from ASEAN states. This Charter turns into an important reference for ASEAN regionalism as well as for the ongoing regional community construction scheme in the forthcoming future. In order to evaluate the importance of the Charter and further analyze the Charter-guided regionalism, this paper tends to scrutinize ASEAN latest regional development from 1997 to 2007 and to depict the charter-framing process. Then, this paper will compare the EPG report with the final version of ASEAN Charter with a view to charting future of ASEAN cooperation.

在2008年的今日，東南亞國協已過不惑之年。對於東協各國而言，自東亞金融危機之後，區域合作的縱深已逐漸從模糊曖昧的政治宣示，發展到兼具實際合作方針與階段性規劃的協力藍圖。細究其原因，可以發現東協除了致力於回應國際權力政治與經貿整合的發展趨勢之外，更希望能強化各種旨在建立內部共同體、促進區域認同與整合的「域內建構」。而這正是後金融危機時期東協區域合作的發展特色：建立一個穩定、繁榮與和平的東協共同體。就在2007年的11月20日，甫通過的《東協憲章》成了決定東協區域合作路徑與共同體發展方向的新指針，同時也爲近年來域內整合的爭論暫時劃下休止符。 爲了探討東協發展的新局勢，本文擬先回顧1997年到2007年的東協區域合作發展情況，並藉此扼要說明對東協域內建構甚爲關鍵的《東協憲章》之制訂過程。接續，本文將比較這部憲章的兩個版本－「名人小組報告書」與「憲章正式版本」－一方面呈現近幾年的整合路線之爭，並且重新梳理新憲規範下東協區域合作的可能發展趨勢。