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The ASEAN Economic Community: Deep Integration or Just Political Window Dressing?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 December 2016

Jörn Dosch
Jörn Dosch*
Affiliation:
Jörn Dosch, Department of Political Sciences, University of Rostock; joern.dosch@uni-rostock.de.
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Abstract

On 31 December 2015, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). In theory, this agreement has produced association-wide economic integration. However, following the announcement and for the foreseeable future, ASEAN member states will continue to have significantly less than full regional economic integration. Why? Some observers believe that the AEC plans involve an overly ambitious timeline and too many ill-thought-out initiatives. Others point to ASEAN's traditional aversion to legally binding agreements. While progress has been made in reducing or eliminating intra-ASEAN trade tariffs, substantial non-tariff barriers to trade persist. However, for most member states, the ASEAN market is relatively small, while external markets, especially China, are growing rapidly. Given this outward orientation for ASEAN trade, is the lack of an unhindered regional market really a problem?

Keywords

ASEANAECregionalismeconomic integrationcommunity-buildingfree trade
Type
Articles
Information
TRaNS: Trans-Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia , Volume 5 , Special Issue 1: ASEAN communities , January 2017 , pp. 25 - 47
Copyright
Copyright © Institute for East Asian Studies, Sogang University 2016 

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