Is it possible, in the near future, for ASEAN to become something like EU or more?

Question

Additional questions. answer if you like ....... or not.

What are the implications of an EU like ASEAN?

Would it be beneficial?

Is SE Asia ready?

Answer 1

No. The economy of member countries are too different. You have Singapore in one end and Myanmar on the other end.

Answer 2

Our Prime Minister (Kevin Rudd, Australia) has thrown the idea of an EU-like organisation for Asia-Pacific into the spotlight. Quite a visionary (even though I don't like him any more than Howard or Nelson =S).

The only issue I would have is the kind of people movements. Australia and New Zealand are stable and rather wealthy capitalist democracies while many nations in our vicinity are third world and poor. If we have a 'Four Freedoms' like policy to that of the EU, then I could see a flood of people settling into Australia. Cheap labour sure, but it won't do well socially (even though we are a multicultural society).

China has state-owned companies engaged in trade and transnational business. If a 'single economic bloc' idea was proposed it would only be done if these companies were privatised and I don't see that happening soon. As it is I cannot see a great deal of benefit to any party so far, besides a common security agreement. What I can see happening is richer business from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, etc. monopolising the economy of the entire union, while those countries themselves get swamped by immigration and cheap labour. Not too beneficial.

As for ASEAN, I don't see it evolving into an EU. It would be more likely that an completely new EU-like organisation was created and then a vast number of treaties and unions in the region (ASEAN incl.) become obsolete / are integrated. That is what happened with the European Community and a number of different trade and security agreements to form the European Union.

Is SE Asia ready? Well considering Cambodia is the most undeveloped country in the world, China is largely censored and authoritarian not to mention caught up in a number of issues (Tibet, Taiwan) and then you have Japan, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand (and to a lesser extent Indonesia) as relatively rich and prosperous, then I would say no it is not ready. In Europe, most countries in the west and east respectively were on par with development and shared some common cultural values. This is not really the case in SE Asia.

It is a good idea and something to strive towards, but it will require some development and integration first. I am sceptical regarding the status quo.