Database
on Basic Documents of Japan-ASEAN Relations
Department of
Advanced Social and International Studies,
WE, the Heads of State and Government of ASEAN;
INSPIRED by the significant progress and accomplishments of ASEAN;
ENCOURAGED by the admission of
ENCOURAGED FURTHER by the accession by all Southeast Asian countries to
the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and its endorsement
by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 47/53 (b) and by the signing
of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty;
CONFIDENT of the early realisation of the ASEAN
vision of embracing the whole of
EMBOLDENED by ASEAN's economic dynamism and its growing importance in
world trade;
MINDFUL of the existence of internal and external challenges to ASEAN's
identity, solidarity, effectiveness and competitiveness;
RESOLUTE in our determination to enhance cooperation, peace and
prosperity in our region;
DESIRING to create a caring, cohesive and technologically advanced ASEAN
community, whose strength lies in a common regional identity;
DETERMINED to achieve further economic integration through greater
cooperation;
AND RESOLUTE in improving the quality of the life of its people through
human development to enable them to realize their full potential and capacity
to contribute towards further progress as productive and responsible members of
society;
DO HEREBY DECLARE THAT:
1. ASEAN shall work towards the speedy realisation
of an ASEAN comprising all Southeast Asian countries as it enters the 21st
century;
2. ASEAN shall take concrete steps to further strengthen the ASEAN
identity, spirit and sense of community through wider participation of ASEAN
citizens;
3. ASEAN shall elevate functional cooperation to a higher plane to bring
shared prosperity to all its members;
4. ASEAN shall move towards greater economic integration by building on
existing economic cooperation activities, initiating new areas of cooperation,
and promoting closer cooperation in international fora;
5. ASEAN shall undertake measures to further strengthen its national and
regional resilience in the political, economic, social, cultural, humanitarian
and other fields; and
6. ASEAN shall continue to actively participate and cooperate in various
regional and international fora to enhance peace,
security and prosperity in
POLITICAL AND SECURITY COOPERATION
7. In the field of political and security cooperation, we have agreed
that:
- ASEAN is committed to the establishment of an ASEAN comprising all
countries in
- ASEAN Member States shall facilitate and expedite the realisation of an ASEAN comprising all countries in
Southeast Asia by developing further the channels of dialogue and avenues for
interaction with the prospective ASEAN Member States in Southeast Asia at
various levels and in the economic, political, cultural, social, scientific and
technological, and other functional fields. The historic Meeting of the Heads
of Government of the ten Southeast Asian nations marked a significant step
forward towards the realisation of this vision;
- ASEAN shall explore ways to consolidate its tradition of consultation
and consensus within an expanded ASEAN. In a rapidly changing world, ASEAN
shall remain bold, forward looking, dynamic and nimble in order to safeguard
the vital interests of its diverse members;
- ASEAN shall intensify dialogue on intra-ASEAN security cooperation;
- ASEAN shall continue to
play a central role, in cooperation with other participants, in developing the
ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) into an effective and meaningful process for
ensuring peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region as conceived in the
ASEAN Concept Paper on the ARF;
- ASEAN shall seek an early, peaceful resolution of the South China Sea
dispute and shall continue to explore ways and means to prevent conflict and
enhance cooperation in the South China Sea consistent with the provisions of
the TAC and the ASEAN Declaration on the South China Sea of 1992 as well as
international law including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea;
- ASEAN reaffirms its commitment to Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality
(ZOPFAN), as envisaged in its 1993 "Programme of
Action on ZOPFAN";
- ASEAN calls on all non-Southeast Asian countries to associate
themselves with the TAC. ASEAN recognises that such
an association will contribute positively towards the security and stability of
the region and is working actively to finalise the
modality for doing so;
- ASEAN calls upon the nuclear-weapon States, for the maximum
effectiveness of the Treaty on Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone, to
extend their cooperation by acceding to the Protocol of this Treaty. The Treaty
is yet another contribution of Southeast Asian countries to the strengthening
of security in the region and to the maintenance of world peace and stability;
- ASEAN urges all nuclear-weapons States to implement more vigorous
measures to reduce and eliminate all nuclear weapons in compliance with their
long-standing obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. ASEAN
also calls upon these States to expeditiously conclude a credible and
comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the interest of world peace;
- ASEAN shall actively participate in the Asia-Europe Meeting in
- ASEAN shall explore ways and means to enhance cooperation with the
United Nations, with the view to promoting peace and stability in the region.
ASEAN shall also work towards making the United Nations a more equitable,
effective and relevant body for promoting peace and prosperity in the region
and globally in the post-Cold War era. ASEAN shall give particular attention
towards the effort to making the membership of the Security Council more
reflective of the prevailing balance among nations; to enhancing the capacity
and effectiveness of the world body to carry out its peace-making,
peace-keeping, peace-building and preventive diplomacy function; and to
strengthening the work of the United Nations in the social and economic fields.
ECONOMIC COOPERATION
8. In the field of economic cooperation, we have agreed to adopt the
following Agenda for Greater Economic Integration:
- ASEAN shall further accelerate the progress towards the actualisation of AFTA before the target date of Year 2003.
Member Countries will maximise the number of items
with tariffs reduced to 0-5% by the year 2000 as well as expand the number of
products with tariffs reduced to 0% by the same year;
- ASEAN shall remove all quantitative restrictions and non-tariff
barriers and shall schedule the elimination of NTBs
beginning 1 January 1996;
- ASEAN shall introduce greater transparency in standards and
conformance, align product standards with international standards and undertake
projects to facilitate mutual recognition agreements on a bilateral or plurilateral basis, to facilitate greater intra-regional
trade. ASEAN shall identify the work programmes to
achieve these objectives and commence work in 1996;
- ASEAN shall harmonise tariff nomenclature at the
HS 8-digit level and implement the GATT Valuation System by 1997. ASEAN shall
also create a green lane system to expedite the clearance of CEPT products;
- ASEAN shall intensify its
cooperative relationships and pursue vigorously economic linkages with its
dialogue partners and other regional groupings such as CER, EU and NAFTA;
- ASEAN shall continue to support sub-regional arrangements as they have
a vital role to play in accelerating economic growth;
- ASEAN shall move towards enhancing cooperation and freer trade in
services through the implementation of the ASEAN Framework Agreement on
Services;
- ASEAN Member States shall enter into negotiations of specific
commitments on market access, national treatment and additional commitments
covering all services sectors and all modes of supply. The first round of
negotiations shall begin on 1 January 1996 and conclude no later than 31
December 1998. The negotiations will give emphasis to financial services,
maritime transport, telecommunications, air transport, tourism, construction
and business services. Subsequent rounds of negotiations shall be undertaken
until a higher level of liberalisation is achieved.
Member States will be given the flexibility to determine the extent of sectors
to be offered for negotiation. For the duration of the negotiations, each
- ASEAN, conscious of the importance of intellectual property in
intra-ASEAN and world trade, shall implement the Framework Agreement on
Intellectual Property Cooperation which will increase cooperation amongst ASEAN
Member Countries in the intellectual property area and which further confirms
ASEAN's determination to explore the possibility of setting up an ASEAN Patent
System and an ASEAN Trademark System;
- ASEAN shall work towards establishing an ASEAN investment region which
will help enhance the area's attractiveness and competitiveness for promoting
direct investment. The promotion of direct investment into and amongst ASEAN
Member Countries will help in the development and growth of the ASEAN
economies. In this regard, ASEAN shall implement, among other investment
measures, an ASEAN Plan of Action on Cooperation and Promotion of Foreign
Direct Investment and Intra-ASEAN Investment;
- ASEAN shall implement a new industrial cooperation scheme which is CEPT
based and has been developed together with the private sector. The new scheme
will encourage investment in technology-based industries and value-added
activities;
- ASEAN shall implement the ASEAN Plan of Action on Infrastructure
Development in order to provide efficient and cost-effective infrastructure
facilities in the region;
- ASEAN shall complete the
implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action in Transport and Communications for
1994-1996 leading to the development of multimodal transport, interconnectivity
in telecommunications, harmonisation of road
transport laws, rules and regulations and human resource development. The Plan
may also include the development of an open-sky policy;
- ASEAN shall embark on new initiatives to achieve global competitiveness
in agriculture and forestry while maintaining the sustainability of its
resources. ASEAN shall increase the competitiveness of agriculture and forestry
by increased application of science and technology, investment in human
resource development as well as through greater liberalisation
of trade in agriculture and forest products;
- ASEAN shall implement a programme of action
that will further enhance trade and investment in industrial minerals to
support the industrialisation of Member States and
complement ASEAN's thrust in realising AFTA. ASEAN
shall also continue to create a conducive environment for private sector
participation by making rules and procedures transparent. A mineral database
shall be set in place and be immediately operationalised
to support the cooperation programme;
- ASEAN shall ensure greater security and sustainability of energy supply
through diversification, development and conservation of resources, the
efficient use of energy, and the wider application of environmentally sound
technologies. ASEAN shall implement the Medium-Term Programme
of Action on Energy Cooperation (1995-1999) with greater private sector
participation in various modes of investment, transfer of technology and human
resource development, with major thrust on power sector development;
- ASEAN shall focus on promoting sustainable tourism development,
preservation of cultural and environmental resources, the provision of
transportation and other infrastructure, simplification of immigration
procedures and human resource development;
- ASEAN shall implement the Action Plan for SME Development emphasising information access, technology, financing,
human resource development and marketing;
- ASEAN shall strengthen its links with the ASEAN-Chambers of Commerce
and Industry to enable the private sector to participate more effectively in
the ASEAN policy formulation process and in programme
implementation;
- ASEAN shall cooperate closely on international trade issues in international
fora including the WTO and APEC. Since international
financial and macroeconomic policies can have a significant effect on the
region's economies, ASEAN shall play a more active role in shaping the agenda
of international financial and macroeconomic issues;
- ASEAN shall continue with efforts to advance further the East Asia
Economic Caucus(EAEC);
- ASEAN Sectoral Ministers as well as Senior
Officials shall meet regularly to embark on new initiatives to strengthen
economic cooperation. ASEAN Economic Ministers and the Senior Economic
Officials shall continue to be the coordinating bodies for all economic
activities. All ASEAN economic cooperation decisions shall be made by flexible
consensus so that Member Countries wishing to embark on any cooperation scheme
may do so while the others can join at a later date; and
- ASEAN shall adopt a General Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) which
shall apply to all disputes arising from ASEAN economic agreements. Under this
general mechanism, there may be specific mechanisms tailored to various
economic agreements.
FUNCTIONAL COOPERATION
9. In the field of functional cooperation, we have agreed, that:
- ASEAN shall strive towards technological competitiveness by building on
national strength and regional cooperation in science and technology that is
self-sustaining and demand driven with active participation from the private
sector;
- ASEAN shall continue to develop human resources in science and
technology to cope with the pace of scientific and technological advancement,
as a means to attain and sustain a competitive edge in the international
economic arena;
- ASEAN shall advance the economic prosperity and social well-being of
its peoples in a sustainable manner, in partnership with the private sector,
for the benefit of future generations and in the interest of ensuring a
balanced ecosystem;
- ASEAN shall seek to conserve, preserve and promote the cultural and
artistic heritage as an integral part of life and spirit in ASEAN. Towards this
end,ASEAN shall seek to foster a dynamic environment
conducive to the creative expressions of indigenous, traditional, modern and
contemporary cultural forms and values while recognising
the commonalities and differences in traditions as great sources of artistic
creativity;
- ASEAN shall upgrade its human resources by investing in building
institutional capacities for education, training and research, science and
technology and technology transfer as well as strengthening the networking of
HRD institutions;
- ASEAN shall raise awareness of ASEAN among its peoples, in particular
the younger generation, and to instill in them a consciousness of the spirit
and identity embodied in ASEAN, by harnessing all appropriate modes and
technologies in the media and communications and education and through greater
interaction among its peoples;
- ASEAN shall reinforce its efforts to improve the quality of life of its
peoples by ensuring social justice, improving the quality of and access to
social services and working towards the reduction of poverty;
- ASEAN, committed to the total eradication of illiteracy, shall work
towards developing better informed and educated societies, through cooperation
in educational evelopment on an inter-disciplinary
basis and he provision of basic education for all;
- ASEAN shall engage the support of the public, private, international
and national organizations and agencies in community building through
appropriate educational processes, in recognition of the crucial role of
community education in sustainable development;
- ASEAN shall continue to strengthen the family as a foundation for a
strong, caring and cohesive society, capable of meeting new challenges arising
from rapid social and economic changes, by promoting strong family values and
bonds and providing for safety nets for families to help cushion the impact of
such changes;
- ASEAN shall work towards the equitable and effective participation of
women in all fields and levels of society;
- ASEAN shall enhance regional cooperation for the survival, protection
and development of children and for youth development;
- ASEAN shall continue to strengthen collective response to the problems
and challenges posed by HIV/AIDS, including the mobilisation
of resources to support implementation of priority activities;
- ASEAN shall further enhance cooperative efforts against drug abuse and
illicit trafficking, with special emphasis being given to demand reduction programmes and information exchange and dissemination, with
the aim of creating a drug-free ASEAN;
- ASEAN shall take into account the existence of new challenges to the
peace, economic growth and stability of the region and the implication of these
challenges;
- ASEAN shall continue to promote the participation of various sectors of
society, including NGOs and other similar organizations, in relevant activities
of ASEAN; and
- ASEAN shall intensify its cooperation in the field of civil service
matters to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their individual
civil services.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
10. ASEAN shall continue to attach importance and further the Dialogue
Process involving its Dialogue, Sectoral and
Consultative Partners on the basis of mutual benefit and in the spirit of
goodwill and partnership.
11. ASEAN shall remain outward looking and shall deepen its external
relations with its partners in a globally interdependent world.
DONE in
For
HAJI BASSANAL BOLKIAH
Sultan of
For the
SOEHARTO
President
For
DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Prime Minister
For the Republic of the
FIDEL V. RAMOS
President
For the Republic of Singapore:
GOH CHOK TONG
Prime Minister
For the Kingdom of Thailand:
BANHARN SILPA ARCHA
Prime Minister
For the Socialist Republic of Vietnam:
VO VAN KIET
Prime Minister