ASEAN membership a cornerstone of Indonesian foreign policy

A basis of Indonesia’s foreign policy is its participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), organized to promote common economic, social and security goals. Members of ASEAN agreed in 1992 to establish a free trade zone area (AFTA) in a bid to promote the region’s competitive advantages as a production base for the world market. They took measures to eliminate tariff barriers among member countries. The deadline for full implementation of the free trade agreement is this year, so President Megawati’s government has been urging businesses to use their comparative advantages to increase competitiveness.
The focus of development cooperation between ASEAN and the U.S. took a programmatic approach during the 1990s, emphasizing trade and investment, technology transfer and human resources development. The ASEAN-U.S. security dialogue has centered on the role of the U.S. in maintaining stability in the region. Recently the U.S. has expressed a deep appreciation for the strong stance taken by ASEAN against terrorism. Trade between ASEAN and the U.S. increased fourfold during the last two decades and the organization is the fourth largest U.S. trading partner after Canada, Japan and Mexico.

HASSAN WIRAJUDA Minister for Foreign Affairs

President Megawati’s new government has been reinvigorating Indonesia’s participation in ASEAN. Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hassan Wirajuda, comments, “in comparison with previous administrations, we have focused on ASEAN as a cornerstone of our foreign policy. Likewise, we intend to intensify our links and relationships with the countries in the Southwest Pacific through the dialogue begun by former president Wahid with Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Philippines.”
Dr. Hassan also adds that membership in ASEAN has helped Indonesia tighten its labor laws and forced them to address human rights, an issue which has been a previous thorn in the country’s side. Since 1998, the country has ratified all eight International Labor Organization core conventions on internationally recognized worker’s rights and has allowed for the organization of trade unions. Dr. Hassan states, “a greater respect for human rights is one of the four major pillars of our integration in ASEAN and, on a larger scale, also important for coming closer to the world community.”