Senate president Hun Sen has described the ASEAN bloc as getting stronger without “backing down”. He acknowledged that although it has faced many problems, many countries still seek to become ASEAN partners.

“Over the past 60 years, ASEAN has faced many challenges, but ASEAN has not backed down, it has always moved forward and become stronger.

“Many countries want the bloc as their partner. They want to use an ASEAN-led forum regularly and recognise the need for it, as well as ASEAN centrality. The bloc has enough influence to bring together all the major players in the world,” he said, as he addressed the World Knowledge Forum, held in Seoul, South Korea on September 10.

According to Hun Sen, 54 countries have become parties to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia to date, and up to 95 countries have embassies in the ASEAN member nations.

He explained that Cambodia sees ASEAN as a regional multilateral mechanism that works on the basis of consensus with non-interference in the internal affairs of each country. It is a regional organisation with cooperative partners, which is very attractive for Cambodian diplomacy.

“ASEAN maintains close internal unity due to two main principles: That decisions are based on consensus and non-interference. Each country has equal rights, no matter how big or small, rich or poor, and all have the full ability to participate in building a community that serves our mutual interests,” Hun Sen said. 

He added that for ASEAN, peace and stability are the basis for everything.

Ek Bunly, a researcher at the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS), explained that ASEAN has come a long way since its establishment on 8 August 1967 with the five original founding nations.

He noted that the bloc has encountered and endured regional and international turmoil, such as the expansion of Communism in Southeast Asia in the 1970s, the Cold War’s conclusion and the global financial crisis in the 1990s, the Covid-19 pandemic in the early 2020s and many more. 

“The admission of Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia did not occur easily, with the group having to adapt and compromise in accordance with the members’ different political practices. 

“Internationally, ASEAN also extended cooperation with many external partners, despite their differences, conflicts, threat perceptions and national interests. It is not an easy task and ASEAN should be appreciated for creating such a platform,” he told The Post.

Bunly believed that Hun Sen’s remarks also served as a signal to ASEAN’s external partners to maintain the momentum of strengthening ASEAN as the central institution in East Asia. He warned that rising minilateralism, US-China competition, rising protectionism and the Myanmar crisis have continued to dampen ASEAN’s image on the international stage. 

“I think, both regionally and internationally, there needs to be a reinforcement of states’ attention towards strengthening the already-established East Asian institution rather than trying to create a new one,” he said.